Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 559 Most Qualified

When Guo Suo rushed out of the hall and the people around him shouted, the guards saw that they could not stop him, so inevitably some of them drew their swords.

Xue Bai did not order to protect Guo Suo, but just watched coldly.

He became more and more convinced that there was someone behind this matter.

What can be gradually confirmed is that, for the time being, the Li Tang royal family wants to confirm his status as a prince. At least at this stage, doing so will be more beneficial.

Since they failed to stop him from becoming the Crown Prince Regent, then, as long as he is really Li Qian, everything will go smoothly.

As long as everyone thinks he is Li Qian, and even he himself thinks he is Li Qian, he will naturally protect the reputation and inheritance of the Li Tang royal family, as well as the lives and future of the clan members.

Xue Bai speculated that the other party made these arrangements with the purpose of making him gradually become Li Qian.

He needed to find out the mastermind behind the scenes, but the prerequisite was to find Guo Suo's flaws. He was certain that the Li Tang royal family would never let Guo Suo die.

really.

"Don't hurt him!"

It was Li Longji who couldn't wait to give the order.

Although the emperor had lost his power to run the government, his status was still there, and everyone still listened to what he said on such matters. The guards put away their swords and pinned Guo Suo down with their bare hands.

This situation made Li Yiniang nervous. She quickly ran to Xue Bai and asked, "Will they hurt Grandpa's old subordinates?"

"rest assured."

Over there, Li Longji actually walked up to Guo Suo, leaned over, and asked, "Why are you running?"

Guo Suo pursed his lips tightly and did not answer, but his eyes revealed horror.

Seeing his expression, Li Longji's eyes also became complicated.

Xue Bai was standing by and watching their two faces looking at each other. Although he didn't hear a single word, he could feel the many hidden secrets between them.

He sensed some of Li Longji's pride, the arrogance of thinking he had everything under control. The slight twitch in the corner of his eyes seemed to be saying, "I knew it. Li Ying is not innocent."

Hidden in his pride was anger, as if he was angry at Li Ying's unfilial behavior, allowing Xue Xiu to raise private soldiers, and intending to rebel after being deposed.

Besides, at this moment, the corners of Li Longji's mouth twitched slightly, as if he wanted to speak out about these old things and prove to the world that he was not wrong. However, he quickly closed his mouth and clenched his fists to restrain this impulse.

The case of the three concubines had been rehabilitated, and Li Longji now had no power to overturn the verdict again.

Xue Bai narrowed his eyes, seeing through all the emotions, and turned his gaze to Guo Suo.

"Oh!"

Guo Suo suddenly crashed onto the stone steps beside him.

"Hold him!" Li Longji shouted.

The guards and eunuchs rushed to stop him, but it was too late. Guo Suo's head was broken and bleeding.

Li Yiniang had just asked Xue Bai whether he would hurt Guo Suo, but when she saw this scene, she covered her mouth in fear.

"Quick, save him..."

Amid the chaos, Xue Bai strode forward, stretched out his hand and found that Guo Suo was still breathing. While arranging for treatment, his eyes quickly swept over everyone.

After a while, Li Longji sighed and spoke.

"There are no outsiders here, so I might as well tell you the truth. I knew long ago that this was my grandson Li Qian. Back then, I reluctantly sentenced my three sons to death because I heard that after Li Ying was deposed, he secretly sent people to contact his old subordinates. I mistakenly thought he was going to rebel, but later I learned that he was going to take his wife and children away."

Just as Xue Bai thought, Li Longji also used this incident as a reason to confirm his identity. As he spoke, he even reached out and patted Xue Bai on the shoulder.

"Nowadays, people often question whether this is my grandson. They wonder why a child who lives in the Eastern Palace would appear in the residence of the Prince Consort Xue Xiu. They wonder why there are rumors that he is missing or even died young. But if he is not my grandson, how can I not know?"

Speaking of this later, Li Longji was deeply saddened and his old eyes were filled with tears.

Gao Lishi saw this and stepped forward to Xue Bai and said, "The Emperor has been investigating what happened all these years. It is because he feels guilty and pity for Your Highness that he protects Your Highness in every way. He is also pleased that Your Highness can become a pillar of the Tang Dynasty."

This only gives a general outline of what happened back then, but the various details and what happened at each time point are not supplemented.

It’s okay to deceive others, but Xue Bai doesn’t believe it.

In Xue Bai's opinion, maybe Li Longji did know more than others, knowing that Xue Xiu had private soldiers and that Li Ying had sent people back to Chang'an to contact him. Therefore, when he saw Guo Suo, he thought that there were still some Li Ying's subordinates who had not been killed, and they must not have been in Lantian Posthouse at that time. However, in order to take his wife and children away and send them to Xue Xiu's mansion, this must have been a fabrication.

The funny thing is that he designed all of this in the beginning, and now it’s all going as he wished, and everyone is cooperating with his performance.

This reminded him of the time when Yang Shenjin and Xue Ling recognized each other in front of the emperor. In fact, everyone with a discerning eye knew that Xue Bai was not their son both times. They knew it themselves too. So why were they willing to recognize a fake son? It was just for profit.

This is the third time, and the principle is the same.

Li Longji and Li Cong are not much nobler than Yang Shenjin and Xue Ling. For the sake of seeking profit and avoiding harm, the royal family can have the same character as a gambler.

Perhaps, when there are greater interests at stake, Li Longji will do everything he can to prove that Xue Bai is his biological father.

In any case, Xue Bai was recognized by the royal family.

When he has enough power, someone will naturally prove to him that he deserves it.

Li Zhi, the Minister of Imperial Clan Affairs, raised his glass tremblingly and said with great satisfaction, "May God bless the Tang Dynasty. The throne has returned to the most qualified descendant of the Li family. Isn't this the arrangement of fate?"

"God bless the Tang Dynasty!"

Everyone raised their glasses and drank together.

With this glass of wine, Xue Bai could feel the hostility of the Li Tang royal family towards him rapidly diminishing. They really began to treat him as a nephew, a brother, and as Li Qian.

"Your Highness, I'll toast you a glass as well."

Princess Xianyi Li Niang came over with a wine glass, one hand on her plump chest, as if she was worried that Xue Bai's condescending gaze would destroy the affection between aunt and nephew.

He had already poured out the wine in Xue Bai's cup. He raised the empty cup and clinked it with hers, pretending to drink without even touching her lips.

This clumsy performance made Li Niang feel honored, and the smile on her face became even brighter.

"I was wrong about what happened before. Actually, when I saw you, I thought you were kind. Please don't blame me anymore, okay?"

Xue Bai just nodded. Li Niang was unsure of his attitude, so she said a few useless words, then chuckled twice and walked away.

Afterwards, the clan members came forward one by one to toast Xue Bai, and leaving him without a drop of wine, they drank up the wine in their cups one by one.

They got themselves drunk, and then determined that Xue Bai was Li Qian. The unwillingness and humiliation of having their ancestral country usurped were also numbed and dispelled with each glass of wine.

Those who wanted to usurp the Li Tang dynasty would be unwilling to accept this. Look, the Li Tang dynasty is now firmly in the hands of the descendants of Li Tang.

Of course, occasionally one or two royal family members would be dissatisfied and grumble in private.

"Even if he is really Li Qian, his grandfather is a traitor, so how can he be qualified to be the crown prince?"

The person who spoke was Li Yan, the son of Li Longji's 20th son, Prince Yan Li Yin. He was whispering with his brothers when suddenly someone came up and put his arm around his shoulders. It was Li Zhen, Prince Siqi.

Li Zhen was probably a little drunk, or maybe he was deliberately making sarcastic remarks while drunk.

"You don't understand this. When the Tang Dynasty was first founded, Emperor Gaozu, in order to justify his name, traced back to Laozi as his ancestor and named him the Supreme Xuanyuan Emperor. But are we really the descendants of the Supreme Xuanyuan Emperor? Are you? Am I? Hahaha, does it matter?"

"Uncle Qi Wang, you are drunk."

"Are we descendants of the Supreme Emperor Xuanyuan? It's been dozens of generations. It doesn't matter at all. What's important is that everyone in the world thinks we are. That's enough. But I tell you..."

Li Zhen did not say anything else, but pointed at his own face and then pointed in the direction of Li Longji. He seemed to realize that this action was disrespectful, so he quickly withdrew his finger and chuckled a few times.

He was obviously dissatisfied, but he didn't know how to vent, so he simply found a flute and started playing it.

"Today is a good day, and I am here to help the Emperor."

……

Li Longji's words today have re-established his prestige among the royal family.

At least he had an idea. Since he couldn't get rid of Xue Bai, he took the initiative to accept him. This was also a strategy. As the emperor, he was obviously more courageous and decisive than Li Cong, and could become the backbone of the royal family.

Xue Bai was recognized and supported. No matter what he thought, he had to show filial piety to Li Longji in order to gain wider support from officials. In this way, Li Longji's power and status were further improved.

After enduring loneliness and working hard for so long, he finally reaped the rewards. Li Longji was very happy and was continuing to act out the deep love between grandparents and grandchildren with Xue Bai when he suddenly heard the sound of a flute.

The sound of the flute was very pleasant. The person playing the flute was none other than Li Zhen, who had superb skills. The sound lingered in the ears for three days.

However, the piece he played was "Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Coat".

Xue Bai could clearly see that the relieved smile on Li Longji's face froze for a moment, and for a moment it seemed as if murderous intent was revealed.

That was a mockery. Li Zhen didn't know why he was so disappointed. He was actually mocking Li Longji for not being able to keep his most beloved woman and for having to be so hypocritical with Xue Bai.

This is also a mockery of Xue Bai, mocking him for either being completely immoral and disregarding human ethics, or pretending to be the emperor's grandson and being insidious and cunning.

In short, both Li Longji and Xue Bai were extremely hypocritical and confused right and wrong for the sake of power.

Li Zhen was fed up with their lies.

Xue Bai glanced at Li Zhen indifferently, and when he looked at Li Longji again, he found that the murderous intent in Li Longji's eyes had disappeared, as if he had not heard the "Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Coat" and continued to speak with a kind expression as he had not finished his words just now.

"I am living a happy life now, playing dominoes and watching operas. I don't have to worry about state affairs. I am relieved to leave the country to you."

Li Longji said this sincerely, but the background music was still ringing in his ears, making his words sound threatening.

In order to eliminate the sense of threat, he smiled more sincerely and added.

"I am very relieved."

~~
After Xue Bai left Taiji Palace, he went to see Guo Suo first.

In addition to the doctor who treated the patient, Xue Bai also asked Li Xiazhou to take a look.

Guo Suo had not woken up yet and was lying there with a horrifying scar on his head.

Li Xiazhou leaned over to look for a while and said, "There is no danger of life. For such an external injury, Your Highness calling me here is like using a butcher knife to kill a chicken."

He was quite knowledgeable in medicine and even more proficient in alchemy, so he had been developing gunpowder for Xue Bai. With this relationship, Xue Bai trusted him very much and waved him to go outside to talk.

"You've seen the injuries. Is he really asking for death, or is he just acting?"

"He was so strong that he survived by luck, not by chance." Li Xiazhou concluded, "He must have really wanted to die." This answer was the same as what the doctor said just now. Xue Bai asked again, "So do you think he is really crazy or just pretending to be crazy?"

Li Xiazhou stroked his beard and pondered for a while before shaking his head.

“It’s not clear yet.”

"Then you should spend some time with him in the name of curing his illness and observe his hysteria."

"Alright."

"Don't give him those messed up pills of yours."

Li Xiazhou agreed, but stroked his long beard and asked, "Your Highness thinks he is pretending to be crazy. Does he suspect he has other intentions?"

"Since you like to play tricks, what do you think?"

"I think this man is simple and honest. Perhaps what he said is true."

When Xue Baixiang asked just now, Li Xiazhou said that he couldn't tell, so what he is saying now is just speculation.

Xue Bai ignored him and went to the Council Hall to meet Yan Zhenqing while it was still early. He wanted to wish his father-in-law a happy new year, but was also worried that something might happen in the court during the New Year.

When he arrived at the government office, he saw Yan Zhenqing and Yan Chunqing coming out side by side, discussing the problem of insufficient national funds for the court this year.

After meeting each other and chatting for a few minutes, we can only leave this issue to be resolved next year.

Although Yan Chunqing's ability is inferior to that of his brothers, he is the one who succeeded Xue Bai in charge of Yanshi County. Compared with Yan Zhenqing's courtesy and uprightness, he is more of Xue Bai's confidant. Xue Bai is considering letting him serve as the Minister of Rites recently.

"Your Highness smells like elixir." Yan Chunqing sniffed and suddenly asked, "Have you met Li Xiazhou just now?"

Xue Bai couldn't help but be surprised that Yan Chunqing had such a sharp nose and such good judgment.

Of course, Yan Chunqing had been in Yanshi for a long time and was very familiar with Li Xiazhou, which was also a reason.

"How can my uncle be so predictable?"

"It's not that I can predict the future, but I know that Li Xiazhou has been thinking about giving advice to Your Highness recently. It seems that he can't help but ask to see Your Highness?"

Only then did Xue Bai realize that Yan Chunqing could guess the reason why he met Li Xiazhou just by the smell, but this was just a coincidence. In fact, Li Xiazhou had not yet said anything.

He was curious, so he deliberately asked, "What do you think of his idea, uncle?"

"Although it can help the imperial court suddenly gain a large amount of land and population, and reduce the current burden on the national treasury, it will cause great controversy, and I'm afraid it is inappropriate..."

When Yan Chunqing said this, Yan Zhenqing, who was standing beside him, had already realized that Xue Bai had no idea what Li Xiazhou had come up with, so he interrupted him.

"Li Xiazhou is cynical and speaks nonsense. He was just joking. He didn't even mention it to Your Highness, but you took it seriously."

"turn out to be."

Yan Chunqing finally reacted and realized that Xue Bai was trying to trick him. He smiled bitterly and said, "It's really not a good idea. Your Highness doesn't need to listen. The New Year is coming soon. Why don't we talk about it later?"

Xue Bai had already guessed something in his mind, so he didn't ask any more questions. He said goodbye to them and went back to Shaoyang Courtyard.

Outside the gate of Daming Palace, you can see the fireworks on the streets of Chang'an in the distance.

The brothers of the Yan family rode side by side, chatting all the way, with a leisurely feeling of returning home to celebrate the New Year after a day off from work.

Xue Bai returned to the palace, but felt it became more and more deserted and farther away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Until he entered Shaoyang Courtyard, pushed open the door, and was greeted by a round red lantern.

"The bookshelf and desk are placed by the window. Teng Kongzi likes to lean against the stove and drink tea and read books."

"Hang the lantern higher... Your Highness."

In the corridor, Qinglan was instructing the palace maids to do something. Mian'er was holding a lantern in her hand and trying to reach under the eaves, but she was too short and was far away.

Xue Bai then walked over, took the lantern, and hung it under the eaves.

"Hey, my dear."

Mian'er saw Xue Bai only then. She called out to him confusedly at first, then she remembered that they were in the palace, and she politely said, "Your Highness."

"Where is your Seventeenth Lady?"

"With the Crown Princess in the main wing."

As Mian'er spoke, she sniffed because the aroma of the New Year's Eve dinner wafted from the kitchen.

It is actually not easy to cook a special meal in Shaoyangyuan.

Xue Bai walked back and saw Jiao Nu standing in front of a mahogany box packing her things. She picked up a bronze mirror and stared at it in a daze, as if she had just realized that she was a pretty woman.

"What are you looking at?"

Jiao Nu was startled and quickly hid the bronze mirror behind him and took two steps back.

She used to have a very bad attitude towards Xue Bai. Now that he has become the crown prince, she seems a little uneasy and tries hard to show her loyalty.

"Your Highness, I am thinking... I swear to protect the safety of the Eastern Palace until my death!"

She is still that servile person.

"understood."

Xue Bai stepped into the main room and saw Yan Yan telling a story to Li Tengkong from afar. She was joking as she spoke and said that Xue Bai had written a poem in Huangzhou called "Nian Nu Jiao". He must have fallen in love with Nian Nu, but it was a pity that he had the desire but not the courage, otherwise he would have let Nian Nu sing for them tonight.

Li Tengkong listened and smiled slightly. Then he heard footsteps and turned around, just in time to meet Xue Bai's eyes.

Looking back on the past few years, they have been through so much upheaval over the years, and it’s hard to say that they are very happy now, but after all the hard work, they can finally be together peacefully…

~~
The second year of Shangyuan, the first day of the first lunar month.

This year was the Year of the Rooster. The rebellion had passed, but the treasury was empty after the war and the people were impoverished. The prosperous scenes of the past were gone and the world could only be described as peaceful.

The snow has stopped and the weather is sunny.

While all the officials in the court were still taking a break, Xue Baizetian began to busy herself with various sacrifices before dawn.

He followed Li Cong as Crown Prince Li Qian and offered sacrifices to the ancestors of the Li Tang dynasty.

Sometimes he looked at the tablets of worship, such as Emperor Taishang Xuanyuan and Emperor Taizong, and he did not feel ashamed or guilty for impersonating Li Qian.

He was an orphan in the present world. More importantly, he came from the future. The 1,300 years were enough for him to have a special respect for the people of the present world. Regardless of whether they were related by blood or not, they were all his ancestors.

The descendants are proud of Laozi and Emperor Taizong of Tang, not because they have their blood flowing in their veins, but because they created the civilization that belongs to this land. Culturally, he is indeed their descendant.

Unconsciously, he seemed to be gradually turning into Li Qian...

When I returned to Shaoyang Courtyard, Yan Yan had already fallen asleep. She had been a little sleepy lately, and there were a lot of things to do during the New Year holidays.

Xue Bai didn't see Li Tengkong, so he walked towards the Taoist temple behind the main wing. When he entered, he saw that she had changed into a Taoist robe and was meditating.

"By the way, I didn't have time to tell you last night." Li Tengkong said, "Congratulations, I checked Yan Yan's pulse."

Xue Bai's first reaction was to look at the palace wall in the distance, feeling that Shaoyang Courtyard was not 100% safe.

After thinking for a while, he said, "We don't need to let others know about this for now. I'm worried that someone might do something bad to us."

"I see."

Li Tengkong was originally a little envious and a little lonely, but was brought back to reality by Xue Bai's words.

This is the imperial palace, full of intrigue, life and death, and the power struggle has never stopped.

"When I was little, I always thought that I couldn't find someone like my grandfather in the future. Although he held great power, he lived in insecurity and was always worried that someone would harm him."

After the two of them sat quietly for a while, Li Tengkong spoke in a low voice.

"The first time I saw you was behind the window for choosing a husband. My brother said that I must choose a husband. I thought you would be the one to accompany me to enjoy the beautiful scenery and live a peaceful life."

"So in your eyes I am a person who is not interested in worldly affairs?" Xue Bai smiled and said, "Then you are mistaken?"

"But your eyes are very calm, without any waves." Li Tengkong thought for a moment and said, "Until now, I still think that you are different from my grandfather. Although a son should not criticize his father's mistakes, he has strong selfish desires, but you are fighting for justice in the world. In the future, the people of the world will stand on your side."

"Master Li, you really comforted me."

"You are worried because..." Li Tengkong said, moving closer to Xue Bai and asked in a low voice, "Are you afraid that even though they recognize you now, they won't let you pass the throne to your children?"

"Ah."

"I recently heard from my master that you are indeed the son of Prince Ying."

The master that Li Tengkong was referring to was naturally Princess Yuzhen. She had an exclusive status, and her words represented, to a large extent, the general attitude of the royal family.

Xue Bai then asked, "How did Princess Yuzhen know this?"

"Master went to ask Princess Tangchang, and she said that the prince consort seemed to have said to send Concubine Xue and her son away."

Xue Bai shook his head first, then asked, "When did Princess Yuzhen say that?"

"Some time."

"Was it before or after the Yongwang Rebellion?"

"Before."

Xue Bai's eyes narrowed, and he had another suspicion in his mind as to who arranged Guo Suo.

Li Tengkong hesitated for a moment, thought about it, and then asked another question.

"Are you lying to me?"

"what?"

"In fact... we may be from the same clan and surname, and we are not out of the ninth generation of kinship." Li Tengkong's voice was very low, with some fear, "Are you saying you are a fake just to comfort me?"

By now, even Li Tengkong began to have doubts.

But Xue Bai was still very sure that all this must have been arranged by someone behind the scenes to prove that he was Li Qian.

Because this world values ​​birth the most, in this era where nobility is determined by birth, too many people do not want to see a lowly slave in power, and they must arrange a noble background for him.

(End of this chapter)