Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 582 Cutting out the roots
It was very noisy around, the old soldiers were still shouting and running, and someone bumped into Li Heng's shoulder.

He turned around and saw a scarred face beneath the armor.

After a quick glance, he didn't take it to heart and continued to look at Li Longji.

"I didn't wrong you."

Li Longji scolded with anger in his eyes.

Despite his anger, he also had a sense of confidence and contentment that everything was under his control.

As expected, he was so wise and perceptive. When the Wei Jian case happened, many people petitioned him not to be suspicious of the prince, as if he had created a huge injustice.

Who was wronged? He was wronged.

"Rebellious son, I knew you were going to rebel."

"You are so stupid, you deserve it!"

Instead, Li Heng became more and more excited, feeling that he would soon succeed in ascending the throne.

At that time, he will have a good talk with Li Longji about who was right and who was wrong during those years.

The next moment, he felt warmth in his hands. He looked down and unexpectedly found that his hands were covered in blood.

At first he thought he was accidentally injured, but when he looked carefully, he found that there was a small dagger stuck in Li Longji's abdomen and blood was flowing out.

"Father?"

"you……"

Li Longji's face quickly turned pale. He closed his eyes and fell down before finishing his sentence.

Li Heng was stunned. He didn't want Li Longji to die.

He had not had the time to pay back the many grievances he had suffered in the past, nor had he let Li Longji see with his own eyes what kind of prosperous era he would create after he ascended the throne.

If this most important audience is gone, all the hard work of these years will be overshadowed.

Li Heng was about to reach out to help when loud shouts were heard in the hall.

"Li Heng murdered the king!"

Li Longji's body had fallen to the ground. Li Heng looked back and saw blurry figures in front of him. It seemed that everyone was shouting the word "regicide".

It was as if he had returned to the situation in the fifth year of Tianbao when he was criticized by thousands of people. He had to endure doubts throughout his life.

"I don't!"

"no!"

No one paid any attention to him. People only cared that this happened, not the truth.

The old soldiers seemed to be frightened. They stopped chasing Xue Bai and dropped their weapons.

The fleeing officials and generals just arrived outside the palace and saw that the imperial guards had arrived to protect them. They stopped and turned to watch the scene of Li Heng killing the king, muttering to themselves.

Li Heng quickly took two steps back, moving a little further away from the fallen Li Longji, trying to prove that he had not murdered him.

"not me."

"Just now there was a ..."

Halfway through his words, Li Heng understood, roared, and raised his finger to point at Xue Bai.

"It's you!"

"You arranged all this in order to frame me for killing my father!"

"You are so cruel!"

Xue Bai stood there saying nothing, without any expression.

From now on, until he puts on the imperial robe, he doesn't need to say or do anything. People will naturally support him to ascend the throne.

"You should believe me." Li Heng still tried to convince everyone, "He arranged all of this, so... these are his people."

After he finished speaking, he came to his senses and quickly stepped back, away from those old soldiers.

Looking over, he saw that the old soldiers were also looking at him, with mockery clearly in their eyes.

They were clearly supported by Li Heng, but they had an inexplicable malice towards him. And the way to express this malice was to call him.

"Your Highness."

"Your Highness."

Those calls of loyalty now sounded like a curse that claimed his life.

Li Heng couldn't help but curse, "Bullshit, you are not my people at all. Admit it, you were arranged by Xue Ni!"

He explained with great effort, but they only used a few simple sentences to prove his guilt, leaving him with no way to defend himself.

"Protect Your Highness."

The old soldiers dispersed and surrounded Li Heng as they fled to the rear of the palace, leaving Li Longji on the ground.

"let me go."

Li Heng struggled hard, but his arm seemed to be clamped in an iron clamp and it was impossible for him to get free. He could only turn around to look at the Purple Palace, and saw the dragon throne lying quietly on the golden steps, getting farther and farther away from him.

Everyone in the palace could feel his strong attachment to the throne, but no one was willing to assist him anymore.

"Chase." Xue Bai ordered.

Zhang Ting huddled behind a large pillar in the hall and trembled. The palace coup had almost shattered all her expectations.

When she took a peek, she saw a pool of blood flowing from under Li Longji. She didn't know if he was dead or not. The agreement with Li Longji had failed, and the position of queen promised by Li Heng was also hopeless. The throne became Xue Bai's pocket, but she didn't even know whether she could save her life.

She had personally seen Li Heng arranging his soldiers to plan the killing of Xue Bai and Li Longji. In this sense, Li Heng was not wronged.

But she knew very well that Li Heng would definitely kill Xue Bai first and then kill Li Longji. From this point of view, the current changes were most likely arranged by Xue Bai.

Zhang Ting could have shouted for Li Heng's injustice, but after a moment's thought, she shouted instead: "Li Heng had planned to kill the king a long time ago. I have evidence! Li Heng is a traitor and he must be killed by everyone!"

In public, the evidence is no longer important. What is important is that she has expressed her support for Xue Bai.

Xue Bai didn't need her as a supporter, he just stood there without even turning his head.

~~
Li Heng was taken hostage and escaped from the Purple Palace. Looking up, he saw row after row of vermilion palace walls still standing tall, like the cage of his life.

"Let me go!" He roared and cried bitterly at the same time.

Unexpectedly, those old soldiers actually let go of his arms.

The sudden freedom made him feel a little at a loss. He stood among them, not daring to escape, but unable to dispel the fear in his heart if he did nothing.

"You are not my people. It was Xue Bai who asked you to kill my father."

"how come?"

Suddenly someone patted Li Heng on the shoulder, and he trembled with fear. Turning back, he saw a man with a scar on his face, grinning with a creepy smile.

"Your Highness promised us a life of wealth and glory, so of course we must repay Your Highness."

"You... I know who you are."

Li Heng suddenly recalled the past. That year, Li Linfu bit him like a dog, and Pei Mian had no choice but to get rid of the last batch of assassins.

At that time, he also told Li Jingzhong that if the roots of the problem are not removed, there will be endless troubles.

Now the trouble comes.

"My brothers died one by one in front of me." Jiang Hai grinned and said, "I should repay you well."

Li Heng quickly spread his legs and ran away, but before he took two steps, he was hit hard on the back of his neck. His eyes went black and he fell to the ground.

The last words he heard before he fainted were shouts from not far away.

"Prince Zhong resisted with force and was shot dead!"

Li Heng had a thought in his mind: he was not dead, so why was he shot to death?

Soon he lost consciousness.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he woke up again. He felt very suffocated and opened his eyes, but all he saw was darkness.

Li Heng reached out and touched around, and found himself in an extremely narrow space, like a coffin.

With a strong push, a faint light came through a very tiny gap, bringing hope of life.

Looking at the light, Li Heng suddenly realized that he really didn't want to die.

For the first time in more than twenty years, he felt that it was such a happy thing to not compete for the throne and just be a peaceful and idle king.

The coffin was not nailed shut, and the lid made a slight noise when it was pushed. This little bit of good news in the desperate situation made Li Heng feel the joy he had not felt for a long time.

"Let me out. I was wrong. I have something to say to... to His Highness. No, to His Majesty. I have something to say to His Majesty."

"anyone there?"

"Your Majesty must be eager to hear my begging for mercy and let me see him."

"I am useful. I am very useful. Please don't bury me alive."

Just as he was gradually gathering hope for survival, a "knock knock knock" sound was heard from above.

Someone was nailing the coffin lid shut on all sides, firmly.

"Don't!"

"Let me go, I can give you whatever you want."

No matter how Li Heng shouted, the people outside remained silent and nailed the coffin lid tightly. No matter how hard he pushed, he couldn't move it even a little bit.

Then the coffin was lifted up and swayed.

If there was no fear of death, it would be quite comfortable, not as bumpy as a carriage, but Li Heng was already sweating profusely.

When the coffin stopped, crackling sounds soon came from above, like rain hitting the eaves on a rainy day.

It was not until this time that Li Heng vaguely heard someone say something.

"Bury it firmly, don't let him crawl out."

Li Heng was furious and shouted, "Let me out!"

He pounded on the coffin like crazy, but there was no movement around him.

It seemed as if he was the only one in the world.

This kind of despair of waiting to die alone was much more terrifying than he had imagined.

He was finally overcome by fear and had a breakdown.

"kill me!"

Li Heng didn't want to stay here and wait for death, so he banged his head against the coffin lid like a madman, but it was in vain.

The violent struggle led to heavy gasping, and soon he felt suffocated.

Curling up in pain, he recalled the past scenes one after another in his mind.

In the courtyard of the Tenth Prince's residence, Li Jingzhong walked up behind him and said, "Your Highness, Du Liangdi's servant brought evidence that he could save the Du family."

"How could the emperor, father, look at the evidence if he suspected me?"

Thinking about it now, Li Heng still doesn't think there was anything wrong with his choice.

It's obviously not his fault, but why should he bear the consequences?

"Xue Bai, you are so narrow-minded. You took away the inheritance left by my ancestors, and you want to retaliate against me in this way. Is this your temperament?"

Li Heng murmured, hatred did not ease his pain, but instead intensified his suffocation.

The world is ruthless, leaving him with only darkness.

...The sun shone on the wilderness of Chang'an City, and the sky gradually brightened.

A flat area without weeds appeared on the grass by the river.

I believe that by next year, there will be lush flowers and plants here.

~~
Daming Palace.

The palace coup seemed to have subsided, and everyone was busy dealing with the aftermath.

Zhang Ting was sent to the Eagle Dog Farm and locked up.

This was the palace where Li Longji used to keep pets, and the princes and grandchildren who committed crimes were often imprisoned here.

In recent years, there have been many disturbances, and the palace has no money to keep too many birds and beasts, so this place has been abandoned. This time, many criminals were detained here, and Zhang Ting got a separate room, which was considered a good treatment.

"I want to see His Highness."

Whenever she saw a palace servant moving around, Zhang Ting would rush to the door and shout outside through the crack.

"I have something very important to report to Your Highness!"

She was a very determined person, and after much difficulty, someone finally came to ask her, "What do you want to see His Highness for?"

"I can help His Highness to settle the gossips of the world after he ascends the throne." Zhang Ting said, "I know a lot of hidden secrets."

"I will report it."

"This matter is very important. You have to tell him in person and make sure he hears it with his own ears." Zhang Ting instructed again.

Only then did she feel a little relieved and sat down to wait for Xue Bai.

This process was very long, and after much thought, she decided that she couldn't just give up like that.

Some of the things that Du Jin can do, she can also do.

She looked around and found that there was no water here, so she couldn't wash. She smoothed her hair with her hands and deliberately pulled open the shawl on her body.

Playing with the torn skirt, she struck a few poses, looked at her long legs, and simply tore the skirt apart completely, then lifted it with her hands to cover the exposed skin.

What we want is a feeling of being elusive.

As a result, time was not enough. While she was still adjusting her bra, there was already movement outside.

A palace servant came forward with a key and opened the chain on the door.

It's Xue Bai's turn.

Zhang Ting quickly lowered her head, bit her lip, and looked pitiful.

When she looked up again, she saw Du Jin standing there, looking at her with interest, with a sarcastic look in her eyes.

"It's you?"

"Nice legs." Du Jin said.

Zhang Ting's expression turned cold, and he said, "I have something extremely important to report to Your Highness in person."

Du Jin said, "It's the same if you tell me."

"Who do you think you are."

Before she finished her words, Qu Shui, who was behind Du Jin, stepped forward and slapped Zhang Ting in the face.

"You may have forgotten that you are a rebel now."

Zhang Ting did not dare to confront Du Jin anymore. He put away his sense of superiority and said honestly, "The Emperor told me that Your Highness is his grandson."

Du Jin asked, "Do I need you to tell me about this?"

"It's different." Zhang Ting said, "The Emperor told me your Highness's identity in private, and said that it was he who instructed people to protect your Highness."

Du Jin still didn't take it seriously and said, "I'm still busy. Instead of telling me about this little thing, why don't you talk about how you lied to me?"

Zhang Ting's face changed and he took two steps back.

"Really? The Emperor told me that Li Zuo is his great-grandson and that no one is allowed to harm him. Gao Lishi and I both heard about this. If you kill me, there will be one less person in the royal family who can prove your identity."

"You guys." Du Jin sighed, "At this point, you still care about these insignificant things, bloodline, identity. I don't know how I lost."

Zhang Ting sensed her murderous intent and said, "Do you want to delay His Highness's important event because of our personal grudge?"

Du Jin sneered.

"I understand." Zhang Ting said, "You don't care about this, because His Highness is destined not to leave the throne to your son, and you can't have a child. My testimony is very important to Li Zuo, but he is Yan Yan's child, you..."

"Snapped!"

This time, Du Jin raised her hand and slapped Zhang Ting. She hit him much harder and knocked him to the ground.

But Zhang Ting was not afraid, instead she smiled.

"Let me be right. There are a group of officials in the court who believe that Your Highness has settled the chaos and brought prosperity. Now only he can ascend the throne, but they will definitely prevent Your Highness from making his son the crown prince in the future. My testimony can eliminate these hidden dangers, so you are obstructing me."

Du Jin shook her head and said, "How foolish."

"Why else? If you have the guts, let me see His Highness."

"You take yourself too seriously."

After saying this, Du Jin turned around and walked out.

After she walked out the door, she looked back at Zhang Ting. Her anger had subsided, and she decided to let Zhang Ting go in a dignified manner.

"Record her testimony and give her a cup of poisoned wine."

This was considered kindness on Du Jin's part. She was always cruel and narrow-minded. When she dealt with Li Heng, she specifically ordered that he be buried alive so that he could taste the pain that Xue Bai had suffered.

But towards Zhang Ting, she finally felt a kind of pity for her as a fellow wanderer in the world.

Before leaving the Eagle and Dog House, Du Jin met Du Youlin and Yan Zhenqing.

She wanted to avoid him quietly, but Yan Zhenqing waved his hand and said, "Du Erniang, please talk to me."

"Yes."

Walking through the deserted palace garden, Yan Zhenqing asked, "Did you just meet Zhang?"

"Yes."

"The Emperor and Zhang have told us about your Highness's identity?"

"Yes." Du Jin said, "Did Mr. Yan hear about it from Gao Lishi?"

"That's right." Yan Zhenqing said, "Zhang wants to see you, probably because he thinks His Highness still needs to prove his identity to the world?"

"Your Highness no longer needs proof."

Yan Zhenqing said: "But Zhang relies on this, and in her heart she still does not recognize your status."

Du Jin said more seriously, "Mr. Yan, this matter is no longer important. At this point, who can stop His Highness from ascending the throne?"

"When Wu ascended the throne, no one in the world could stop her. But look at what happened later. Let me ask you, is the world ruled by Wu family today?"

"Don't worry, Lord Yan. Your Highness is different from Empress Wu Zetian. Your Highness is the legitimate son of Emperor Fengtian. It's legitimate." Du Jin said, "Your Highness doesn't need to defend yourself. Zhang Ting is a traitor. It's impossible for her to escape punishment by proving something that was already true. I have already sentenced her to death."

"That's good."

Yan Zhenqing nodded, as if he was really relieved, and prepared to walk back, and said another sentence casually.

"By the way, I just talked to your grandfather. He said that the Du family has long known about your highness's identity. I guess that's why you are assisting him with all your strength, right?"

Du Jin said, "Yes."

Perhaps it was because of the affair between her and Xue Bai, or perhaps it was because Yan Zhenqing's aura was too strong, she always felt uncomfortable standing next to him, just like when she was a child and was lazy about her homework and was afraid of being discovered by the teacher.

She always felt that Yan Zhenqing was asking her, "Did you plan with Xue Bai from the beginning to impersonate Li Qian's identity?"

Yan Zhenqing asked again: "Did His Highness tell you in person? You should be the first person to gain his trust. Unfortunately, he never told me anything back then."

"It's just a coincidence." Du Jin said, "The Du family and Your Highness have experienced life and death, and Your Highness only told me when it was critical."

She suspected that Yan Zhenqing might have exposed this matter. If Xue Bai was really Li Qian, why didn't she dare to tell Yan Zhenqing?
But in recent years, she often thought that Xue Bai was really Li Qian. Perhaps, what Xue Bai said back then, "impersonating", was a euphemism.

"That's good."

Yan Zhenqing didn't ask any more questions.

Du Jin turned her head and looked at his back, somewhat unable to see through him.

Given his integrity, if he knew Xue Bai was an imposter, he would not support Xue Bai anymore no matter how much wealth and glory he had.

~~
Although Xue Bai was busy, he had to deal with some red tape.

His main task was to attend Li Cong's funeral, then ascend the throne as emperor and reward his meritorious officials.

There was an episode in between, Li Longji was not dead yet.

The blow that happened in full view of everyone but no one could really see clearly would definitely end Li Longji's life, but this old man obviously had tenacious vitality and was still struggling to survive.

Even if it was just out of courtesy, Xue Bai had to go visit him.

"You all go down."

"Here."

There was a faint stench in the Hanxiang Hall. It was hard to tell what it was, the smell of medicine, or the stale smell of Li Longji's body.

Xue Bai walked to the couch with the medicine bowl and was somewhat surprised that Li Longji's eyes were still so bright and energetic.

"You want to kill me." Li Longji said, "You are so brave."

"Since Li Heng has taken action, I will not take action again." Xue Bai said, "I can still wait for the remaining time."

Li Longji suddenly felt sad. He really didn't have much time left. He thought that after Xue Bai buried Li Cong, he would be able to bury him.

"Is...is it Gao Lishi?" he asked.

Xue Bai was able to arrange a group of trusted troops to be around Li Longji, which meant that he must have placed spies around Li Longji.

Moreover, the Daming Palace is so big, and Li Longji was captured so quickly after escaping from the Purple Palace. It is very likely that someone passed on the information.

After thinking about it, he was sure that it was Gao Lishi.

Xue Bai did not deny it and said, "He is doing this for your own good, and he doesn't know I want to kill you. I promised him that once I ascend the throne, I will definitely let you go."

"Can you fool him?"

"He is old, so he can only trust me." Xue Bai said, "Because he is very sober, your coup will not succeed."

"I'm just a little bit away."

"You are crazy. You have contracted a disease called 'self-righteousness'. Unfortunately, Gao Lishi did not go crazy with you. He could not bear to watch you destroy the Tang Dynasty, so he had to help me."

This sentence did not anger Li Longji. He shook his head and said, "You all don't understand. Only I am right."

"Maybe. It doesn't matter anymore."

Xue Bai was a little bored, and in order to show his filial piety, he had to stay with the dying Li Longji.

Li Longji asked: "Why do you do this? I can let you ascend the throne, why do you have to kill me?"

Xue Bai only needs to lead his troops into the palace. If their plan fails, they will naturally admit defeat, just like they recognized him as regent and acknowledged his ascension to the throne.

From this perspective, Xue Bai's arrangement seems somewhat unnecessary.

Killing everyone may feel refreshing at the moment, but it will also easily leave a bad reputation, no matter how well he covers it up.

Xue Bai answered very honestly, "I know you can compromise with me and find a balance of interests again, but if you play this game of deception too much, I'm afraid I will become more and more like you."

He shook his head, his eyes showing some disgust.

"You are too much of a nuisance, just kill them all."

(End of this chapter)