Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 280 Chaos

In the Royal Forbidden Garden in the northern suburbs of Chang'an, the grass is dotted with beautiful fireflies flying one after another.

In the dark night, under the bright moonlight, the green fluorescence flickering in the grass is mesmerizing.

The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Li Longji, was lying on the fence of the attic of a two-story Forbidden Palace, looking at the fireflies in the grass not far downstairs.

and the palace maid chasing fireflies.

"Haha, I caught it! I caught it! Ouch!"

The joyful shouts stopped suddenly, and the palace maid who had just made the sound fell into a pool of blood. Next to her stood a palace maid holding a stone in her hand, panting heavily.

When she hit the opponent on the back of the head with a rock just now, she used all her strength. At this moment, the adrenaline faded, making her paralyzed and almost unsteady.

The palace maid threw the stone to the ground, leaned down and picked up the "lantern" held by the palace maid.

A "lantern" made of light gauze with glowing green fireflies inside!

"I can finally leave this hellish place."

She sighed softly and put her hand on the eyes of the palace maid who was still staring. After taking her hand away, the eyes that were open just now were closed.

"do not blame me."

The palace maid murmured to herself, and just as she stood up to leave, she suddenly felt unbearable pain from her back, and a dagger pierced her abdomen.

She looked down at the tip of the knife, turned her head with difficulty, and saw blood flowing from the forehead of the palace maid who had just fallen to the ground under the fluorescent light. This person looked like a ghost!

"you……"

She said a word in disbelief, feeling as if her life was passing rapidly at this moment.

"No one can take away my fireflies, I want to be a royal concubine!

I! want! when! expensive! Concubine! "

The palace maid who got up from the ground roared viciously, gnashing her teeth every word, as if she came from the abyss of hell.

She used all her strength to grab the other person's hair with her left hand, and stabbed the knife with her right hand repeatedly. Blood spattered on the clean white dress she was wearing, as if it were paint on a draft of a painting.

One stab was not enough. He stabbed more than a dozen times in one breath and stopped only when he was too tired to move.

The mantis hunting the cicada was not noticed for a moment, and was killed by the cicada pretending to be dead. It is really sad.

The late striker took back the lantern containing the fireflies and staggered forward. Her vision was getting blurry and the wound on the back of her head was bleeding. Finally, this ambitious palace maid couldn't hold on any longer and fell to the ground.

The counter-attack just now was also her dying struggle.

The gauze at the opening of the lantern was pierced by the gravel on the ground, and the fireflies inside escaped from the cage and flew to the grass, disappearing in an instant.

This scene happened in front of Brother Ji. He was condescending and fully appreciated the thrilling scene just now with great interest, with a satisfied smile on his face.

Many people have very low status and have a hard life, but their explosive power cannot be underestimated. In a short life, there is often a moment that will shine with dazzling brilliance.

"O strong man, people die for wealth and birds die for food. Who was the first to say this?"

Brother Ji put his arm on Gao Lishi's shoulders and asked with a sigh.

"Back to the saint, I don't even know about such a profound question."

Gao Lishi answered cautiously.

The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty in front of him became increasingly unpredictable.

Tonight, the palace ladies are catching fireflies in the forbidden garden. It is actually an activity organized by Brother Ji. There is no requirement. In principle, registration is voluntary.

The ten maids who catch the most fireflies can serve the emperor.

Of course, if you don't want to go to bed, you can choose to go home. This is what they deserve. The event lasts for ten days, and the fireflies caught before dawn every day are handed over to the eunuch responsible for organizing the event.

In short, there were thousands of palace maids who signed up for this event. These women either wanted to go home or to serve the emperor, and each of them had their own purpose.

As an audience, Ji Ge walked around and admired the various methods used by the palace maids to compete for the fireflies.

"When will King Di Li Yan's troops take action? It seems the time is coming soon, right?"

Brother Ji asked casually, with a deep sarcasm on his old face.

He thought it was funny. Three days before Di Wang Li Yan was going to take action, it was the day before yesterday. Several informants in Prince Di's palace sent the news to Gao Lishi.

Fang Youde took the Shence Army to Hua County at the foot of Mount Hua to train troops, just fishing. In fact, he trained a capable and efficient Shence Army "quick reaction force" composed entirely of cavalry, which could return to defend Chang'an in the shortest possible time.

To be precise, to capture the rebels.

Of course Brother Ji also knew this. In fact, the strategy of "leading the snake out of its hole" was exactly the plan of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

This is the beauty of allowing the princes to move out of Chang'an City without leaving the capital. If the princes were still in Chang'an, the emperor might not be able to deal with them every time when these people made trouble.

After all, Chang'an is huge, but the palace is relatively small.

"Back to the Saint, there are many reports that the attack will be carried out in the Forbidden Garden tonight.

Quanzhong has quietly led a battalion of the Shence Army from Huashan back to the vicinity of Chang'an, and is ambushing on the outskirts of Yunyang County tonight.

Once Li Yan's assassins take action in Forbidden Garden, the Shence Army will rush into Yunyang County and annihilate Prince Di's palace.

No one can leave. "

Gao Lishi's tone was very calm, but the murderous intention in his words was already revealed without any concealment.

Li Yan thought he was playing cards with Brother Ji, but this card game, from the referee to the gambling equipment to the rules of the game, was all made by Brother Ji, and the cards were one-way and transparent.

Li Yan didn't stand a chance.

At this moment, a young eunuch named Yu Chaoen walked up to Brother Ji, bowed and crossed his hands in salute and said: "Sage, a group of unknown thieves have entered from the south gate of the Forbidden Garden, and the Jinwu Guards are fighting with them. .The situation is under control."

"Closing the Internet cafe, I didn't expect this scoundrel to be so inexperienced."

Brother Ji waved his hands tiredly and said in a disinterested tone.

Di Wang Li Yan was very stupid. This assassination, from the beginning of planning to the final closing of the net, was all under the control of Brother Ji.

Probably, Li Yan was the only one who felt confident. Fighting with such a stupid person made Brother Ji feel no excitement at all. He felt completely unmoved and even wanted to laugh.

On the contrary, like the longevity king Li Lu did last time, only actions planned and implemented by him alone can be successful.

Let Brother Ji break into a cold sweat. No, Li Chen almost succeeded last time.

"Send someone to inform General Fang that the net can be closed."

Gao Lishi glanced at Yu Chaoen and said softly.

Yu Chaoen said nothing, bowed and left.

"Sage, how should we arrange the ten maids who succeeded in catching fireflies this time?

Could it be that the saint really wanted them to sleep with him? "

Gao Lishi asked cautiously. This is actually nonsense, because the "rules of the game" themselves are stated in advance.

"Did General Gao not see the fight in the grass just now?

If this woman gets ruthless, she will really be like a woman. "

Brother Ji asked with a smile, but the smile on his face was a bit cold and his tone was very unkind.

Just now, Palace Maid A caught a firefly and was hit on the back of the head by Palace Maid B in a sneak attack. Palace Maid B snatched the other party's fireflies, and when she turned around, Palace Maid A, who had just pretended to be dead, jumped up and stabbed her more than a dozen times.

Both died in the grass, and the fireflies flew away. It can be said that both sides suffered losses.

As for Brother Ji and Gao Lishi, they don’t even know their names!

How evil and scheming must a woman be to survive such a brutal fight and get the fireflies?

For an old emperor with physical decline, what is the use of such a woman? Stay by your side to make trouble?

Gao Lishi thought of Brother Ji's trembling under the pressure of Wu Meiniang when he was young, and he understood what the other party was thinking now.

Any woman who is too smart will die in Brother Ji's eyes! Even the air these people exhale is filthy!

"Please rest assured, saint, I will make arrangements."

Gao Lishi said with crossed arms and a salute.

"Well, I'm going to bed. You can take care of the other things."

Brother Ji turned around and walked towards the palace bedroom, feeling very calm.

Tonight, for some people, must be a sleepless night.

Tonight, for some people, must be a precious night.

Because they will not see the sun rise the next day. …

In the spring of this year, a "big event" that was not a big event happened in Chang'an.

A group of assassins with unknown origins entered the Forbidden Garden in the northern suburbs of Chang'an in an attempt to assassinate the emperor. As a result, these people were wiped out by the Jinwu Guards who had been ambushing them for a long time. The assassins who were deliberately left alive revealed the person behind the scenes.

It is Di Wang Li Yan.

The general of the Shence Army was virtuous. With lightning speed, he broke into Yunyang County where Prince Di's Mansion was located and arrested Li Yan's family. No one escaped.

The day after the incident happened, the emperor’s results came out:

Li Yan's princess Wei Shi was ordered to become a nun.

Di Wang Li Yan was imprisoned in a pig pen in a royal manor and committed suicide three days later. He was buried as a commoner and his name was removed from the family tree by Zongzheng Temple.

Li Yan's concubines were ordered to be buried alive, but later Ji Ge showed extra mercy and allowed the most beautiful ones to be assigned to the Jiaofang Division, while the rest were buried alive.

Li Yan's heirs were reduced to commoners and died inexplicably not long afterward, and all the servants in Prince Di's palace were executed for treason.

Not even a living dog was left.

The storm came and went quickly, and it has come to an end since then. The rebellion of Di Wang Li Yan came very unexpectedly and ended extremely hastily.

It only took three days from the assassin's assassination to the dust settling.

Although the time is short, many of the details are worthy of scrutiny.

For example, the Shence Army led by Fang Youde originally trained in Hua County at the foot of Mount Hua, but it was hundreds of miles away from Yunyang County.

However, he arrived in Yunyang County on the night of the incident and captured everyone in Prince Di's Mansion. This marching speed is a bit too fast.

For another example, in the whole incident, only Princess Wei, who had no heirs, escaped from home unscathed, while everyone else was in bad luck.

Weird things like this are very intriguing.

It's just that everyone in the government and the public, from the ordinary county captain in Chang'an to the right prime minister Li Linfu, kept silent about this.

Everyone just thinks that the prince, King Di Li Yan, has never existed.

……

Although the death of Di Wang Li Yan was not a cause for concern inside and outside the court, it did not arouse much discussion. But this incident caused an uproar in the prince's circle!

Prince Yong's Mansion, in the study room where Prince Yong Li Lin lives.

The prince was walking around the table anxiously, while his personal eunuch Gao Shang stood aside with a calm expression and said nothing, with his hands hanging on his lower abdomen.

"It's coming, it's coming! Li Chen's curse is coming!

Damn!

Everyone will die, everyone will die!

What should I do! What should I do! "

Li Lin said something Gao Shang pretended not to understand, and his whole body fell into extreme anxiety. Even the ants on the hot pot were calmer than him.

"Your Highness, please be patient. The consequences of this matter are not as serious as Your Highness thinks."

Gao Shang said to Li Lin with folded hands and a salute.

"How can you tell me to calm down! Ah! Ah!"

Li Lin grabbed Gao Shang's collar and veins popped out on his forehead.

Then he was unable to put his hands down, and his whole body was like an eggplant beaten by frost.

"Li Yan said a lot that day. He said that Li Yan stabbed the saint's little man at home, and also said that he was holding a foot-long iron nail.

Haha, I thought he was joking. "

Li Lin laughed at herself and recalled the original scene. At that time, Li Xuan's words seemed like fantasy, but now I just feel a chill on my back.

Is Li Yan really cursing Brother Ji?

Yongwang Li Lin didn't know, he even didn't believe it before.

But judging from the assassination of the Emperor that just happened, it is very likely that this matter is true, and at least Li Yan is guilty of committing the crime.

Or in other words, similar things are all "free mind certificates".

It doesn't really matter what the truth is.

The key lies in what the emperor himself thinks. As long as he thinks someone is guilty, that person will definitely be punished, that's all.

Witnesses and evidence are completely unnecessary.

It was obvious that Brother Ji completely listened to what Li Chen said that time. And prepared quietly and secretly.

This time it was Li Yan, but next time, would it be me?

Li Lin didn't know, but he was scared.

"Your Highness, please rest assured that you, the Crown Prince, and Prince Ying will all live and die together now.

As long as His Highness makes no mistakes, this game can continue to be played. What His Highness needs to do now is to wait for the opportunity.

It is better to be still than to move. "

Gao Shang persuaded calmly.

"Oh, that's the only way it can be."

Li Lin sighed and knelt down in front of the desk.

Gao Shang secretly cursed Li Lin in his heart, but he still put a smile on his face and comforted him:

“It’s time for Your Highness to send someone to find trouble with the Crown Prince.

For those old cases in Chang'an County, you can find the perpetrators to make trouble in front of the Jingzhao Mansion Yamen. "

Gao Shang bowed to Li Lin and his eyes flashed.

"Is this nonsense really useful?"

Li Lin frowned slightly and asked with a worried expression.

Gao Shang was so angry that he wanted to smash this idiot's head with a stick. He suppressed the anger in his heart, forced a smile, and persuaded in a gentle tone:

"Your Highness, the Saint is not worried about your nonsense now. Instead, he is worried that Your Highness is too wise.

There is no need to hide this matter from anyone. Your Highness can just do it loudly and wait until the saint’s edict comes down to rebuke His Highness, and then you can stop. "

"Well, what you said makes sense."

Yongwang Li Lin nodded thoughtfully and said.

"After Your Highness has attracted the attention of the Saint, you can plan your next move."

Gao Shang suppressed his inner excitement and said.

"Next step?"

Li Lin looked puzzled, then seemed to remember something, laughed loudly to cover up his embarrassment and said: "Yes, yes, Anlushan, Anlushan!"

"If you can win over Fang Chongyong, His Highness will have a greater chance of winning."

Gao Shang said quietly.

"Don't count on that."

Li Lin waved his hand helplessly and said. Fang Youde is the fastest sword in Brother Ji's hand, how could his son be attracted by the prince!

"Your Highness, I have to go back to Chang'an now to speak ill of Your Highness in front of the saint."

Gao Shang bowed deeply to Li Lin and continued:

"The way to paralyze the saint is not to ask the slave to do nothing, but to describe His Highness in front of the saint as a person who is ignorant, has no ambition, and is dissatisfied with the saint but dare not show off.

If these words reach His Highness's ears, Your Highness will get angry when he should be angry, and he will be violent when he should be violent with his slaves. "

"I understand, I understand!"

Li Lin came over and helped Gao Shang, who was kneeling in salute, up and said: "In the future, when I am honored as a great treasure, I will give you whatever you want. Even if you want to be the right minister, I will never be stingy!"

Li Lin looked as affectionate as a courteous corporal and almost made Gao Shang vomit.

He suppressed the discomfort in his heart, wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and said with tears of gratitude: "It's hard to work for King Yong. Please rest assured, Your Highness. I will set off for Chang'an now."

"Well, let's go."

Seeing Gao Shang with tears on his face, Li Lin nodded with emotion.

　The palace maid caught fireflies to accompany her to bed, but this was the intangible legacy that Ji Ge left for future emperors in history. I think this is a tribute to a classic.

　　

　

(End of this chapter)