Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 357 When love is a thing of the past

Late at night, in a secluded place south of Chang'an City, the cries of crows could be heard all the time. This is the place where the tombs of Chang'an's aristocrats are concentrated. The owners of the tombstones were either rich or noble back then.

In the family cemetery where Du Lingwei's family is located, in front of an inconspicuous small tombstone, the infatuated prince Li Xuan was alone, accompanied by his personal eunuch Cheng Yuanzhen, to pay homage to his second princess Wei Sanniang.

Today is August 14th. According to folklore, the gates of hell will be closed tomorrow. It is rumored that the souls of those who died unjustly will wander around the world in an intensified manner tonight, looking for "incense" from various relatives to worship their ancestors.

The reason why Li Chen appeared here in the middle of the night was just because he wanted to talk to Wei Sanniang and find some spiritual comfort. Although he knew that those folk legends were basically nonsense, he still imagined that maybe a miracle would happen during the "Ghost Festival"?

"Sanniang, you definitely don't know what that old beast has become now."

Li Chen put paper money into the brazier with a gentle smile on his face, but what he said made Cheng Yuanzhen secretly speechless.

"That guy, a few days ago, someone set a fire at the bottom of the mountain, and he was trembling with fear. When the fire started to reach the top of the mountain, he looked like a dog! Hahahahahahaha! You haven't seen it with your own eyes It’s such a pity to see it!”

Li Chen was beating the tombstone while laughing so hard that tears came out!
"My brothers are all harboring evil intentions now, plotting all kinds of unknown actions in private. And they must be dreaming every night, hoping that the old beast will die soon.

Now all the civil and military officials are thinking about their future, knowing that he will not be emperor for much longer. Sanniang, do you think these people are funny or not? They still think they can have the power of following the dragon. Do you think it is possible?

But at this moment, Li Chan saw more than a dozen people sneakily adding kerosene to a coffin. Even though the coffin was engulfed in raging fire, they kept pouring kerosene on the coffin, as if they thought the fire was not strong enough.

This scene is particularly eye-catching in this dark night!
Why is there such a big fire in the cemetery in the middle of the night?

Cheng Yuanzhen quickly defended in a low voice.

"Sanniang, I'm going back first. You can watch carefully from below. Damn this person, he will never escape the punishment of God."

"Sanniang, as long as that old beast is still alive, I will not deliberately commit suicide. I will see him die with my own eyes. Don't worry, the things I promised you before I died will definitely be fulfilled."

The more Li Chen doesn't take his position as the crown prince seriously, the less Brother Ji can do anything to him. Although this seems absurd, it is also an extremely absurd reality.

"Manager Yu, you said that the saint loved Yang Yuhuan so much back then, why did he first erase the writing on her tombstone, and now General Gao wants us slaves to dig up her solitary grave and burn her coffin?

"Shut up, you have a dog's brain and don't care about the situation! After the coffin is burned, the remains and ashes are thrown away. Our family has to go back to General Gao (Gao Lishi) to return to life. You talk too much, be careful not to know when you will die. How did he die?"

The reason why Li Xuan dared to lie down was because he saw that Brother Ji was fierce in appearance but weak inwardly, strong in appearance but weak in heart!
The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty could only carefully maintain the political balance. His age, his energy, and his situation are no longer able to plan the overall situation again.

Yu Chaoen scolded and ordered his eunuchs to continue working!
To their left is a large pit dug by a grave digger, and to their right is a burning coffin. This strange scene, as well as the information revealed by these words, were all overheard by Li Han who was hiding in the dark.

An eunuch who had a relatively good relationship with the leading mermaid, Yu Chaoen, couldn't help but complain.

How could they have a chance if that beast was immortal? If they don't die, will they just keep waiting? "

Give these courtiers and foreign ministers a glimmer of hope and let them take sides, and then he, the emperor, mediates from the side and pulls one to fight, whoever takes the lead will hit the other.

"The prince is too worried. He is very tight-lipped and won't say unnecessary words to others."

There is a rumor that the gate of hell opens on July 15th and closes on August 15th. On the night of August 14th, I went to dig a grave and saw ghosts wandering outside. It was really scary! "

They are like those children who are lost and can't find their home, and don't know who they are, existing empty in the world.

Li Chen had a sarcastic look on his face, glanced at Cheng Yuanzhen and said: "Even though Cheng's servant told the saint every word of my prince, my prince's third wife was killed by the saint himself, and the saint also knew that my prince treated him badly." What’s on your mind?”

In fact, not only the civil and military officials knew that Brother Ji was not reliable because of his old age, but also the eunuchs in the palace, the prince's palace, and the princes' palaces also understood their thoughts, and basically started to find new homes for themselves.

The same is true for changing the prince. The kings balancing the prince's situation is Brother Ji's only trump card to balance the situation of the court. He can't say that he will kill all the courtiers who take sides, right?
In that case, who would help him govern the Tang Dynasty?

The owners of these tombstones either have sensitive identities, have been forgotten, or have their inscriptions deliberately erased for various reasons.

Li Chen's heart tightened, because the direction where the fire was shining was a place he was once very familiar with.

This prince, whom everyone dislikes, has hidden himself deep enough!
Worshiping Wei Sanniang in the middle of the night is really too mundane and not like what a normal person should do! If the saint knew what happened tonight, it would definitely cause Li Chen a lot of trouble.

At this moment, a question suddenly flashed through Li Chen's mind: when that old beast took Yang Yuhuan away from him, he held it in his hand for fear of breaking, and held it in his mouth for fear of melting.

"Put out the torch and quietly come over to take a look."

This is the least expensive solution. Li Chen knew very well in his heart that Ji Ge was so stubborn that he didn't dare to do anything to him.

The two extinguished the torches and slowly approached the fire. When they saw the situation clearly, they were shocked!
Although there is a cemetery of nobles nearby, there are ownerless graves with no inscriptions mixed in there.

But no matter how much they say, Li Chan cannot crush Yang Yuhuan to ashes and leave her with no place to live after her death!

Li Xuan said in a deep voice, not being angry and assertive, so that Cheng Yuanzhen couldn't even say a word of rejection.

It is not unusual for people to leave and have cold tea. Li Han himself also understands that when his love is transferred to Wei Sanniang, Yang Yuhuan is just a scar on his body.

Instead, he regarded Li Chen as an opportunity in his life! An opportunity for great success!

Generally speaking, such tombstones are left unattended, and the grass on the grave is five feet high. If it occupies a geomantic treasure, it will definitely be moved away. If it occupies a small and inconspicuous place, it will be overgrown with weeds and no one will take care of it.

According to Li Xuan's point of view, if Brother Ji wants to depose the crown prince, then he should depose the prince; if Brother Ji wants to use the butcher's knife, then he should use the butcher's knife. No matter how you play, it doesn't matter to him.

But how can I put it, as a person who has experienced the dilemma between life and death, this prince has completely looked away from it.

People rarely reach their seventies. Brother Ji is already over sixty. He understands everything, right? Cheng Yuanzhen was indeed sent by Brother Ji to monitor the prince, but he had actually given up on obeying orders.

Li Chen gently touched the tombstone and said softly. His abnormal mental state was one of calmness and suppressed madness. Cheng Yuanzhen, who was watching on the sidelines, felt terrified in his heart!

Killing Li Chen would mean a new round of turmoil in the political situation, and the courtiers would be at a loss as to what to do.

Gradually, these ownerless graves were slowly moved to a relatively fixed area, and this became the most secluded place in the cemetery in the south of the city.

After saying this, Li Chen turned and left. At this moment, he suddenly saw a fire shining somewhere in the distance.

Li Chen waved his hand, signaling Cheng Yuanzhen to shut up.

Even if Yang Yuhuan appears in front of him again, that's all. To put it bluntly, even if Yang Yuhuan still has stunning beauty, Li Chan's thoughts are just to play with her body, and there will no longer be the previous thoughts of staying together and spending the rest of their lives together.

The air was filled with the strange smell of burning old wood, mixed with the pungent smell of burning fire oil, which made people standing nearby feel very uncomfortable.

And considering Li Longji's ruthless temperament, the dead woman has no use value. Of course, the sooner she is forgotten, the better!
The dead Yang Yuhuan is not worthy of being remembered by Brother Ji anymore. Besides, Yang Yuhuan has been dead for so many years. Logically speaking, it shouldn't be!
Li Chan felt doubts and infinite sadness in his heart.

Who would have thought that Yang Yuhuan's fate would be so bumpy that he would not be able to rest in peace even after death? The debt will be wiped out after death. No matter how great the hatred is, it should be settled after death.

He and Cheng Yuanzhen were hiding quietly behind a tombstone. This is how vision works in the dark. People in the dark will have a very good vision when looking at people illuminated by fire. On the other hand, people illuminated by fire look for people hiding in the dark, but their vision is extremely poor.

Yu Chaoen and his party were not aware of the existence of Li Chen and Cheng Yuanzhen from beginning to end. Finally, the fire burned out and the entire coffin was burned to ashes, leaving only a few sparks on the ground. When Yu Chaoen saw that the matter was done, he tidied up the scene and left with more than ten eunuchs. This remote corner, filled with ownerless graves, has also returned to peace.

Li Chan waited until Yu Chaoen and others had left for half an hour, then slowly walked out from behind the tombstone and ordered Cheng Yuanzhen to light the torch.

I don’t know if it’s God’s will in the dark.

It was Li Long who married Yang Yuhuan.

It was also Li Long who took Yang Yuhuan away from his father.

After Yang Yuhuan died, the only person who visited her grave was Li Xuan.

Even in the end, Yang Yuhuan's bones, which had been buried for many years, were sent by the old beast to crush the bones and scatter the ashes. The witness of this scene... was still Li Han.

There was no pain in his heart anymore, Li Chan just felt that the world was not worth it for Yang Yuhuan. Since ancient times, beauties have a bad fate. This sentence is by no means just a saying.

He once again realized the value of Wei Sanniang's strength. Many times, the weak have no choice. They would rather be broken than destroyed, which makes the strong afraid.

Submissiveness sometimes means being at the mercy of others.

Those who are lucky can still get a share of the pie; those who are unlucky are just like Yang Yuhuan.

"Have any major events happened recently regarding the Yang family?"

Li Chen suddenly asked Cheng Yuanzhen a question that couldn't be answered with eight poles.

"Which Yang?"

Cheng Yuanzhen asked doubtfully.

There are too many people with the surname Yang in the world, including several high-ranking officials in the court, and they are not from the same family.

"Yang Yuhuan's family."

Li Chen said calmly.

Cheng Yuanzhen thought for a while, and finally said with a sigh of relief: "Mrs. Qin Guo, Yang Yuhuan's sister, died of illness a few days ago. Oh, by the way, there is also that person who has a very high-profile style and has made many rumors. Yang Yuyao, the wife of Guo State, also drank to death just two days ago."

"Drunk to death?"

Li Chan raised his eyebrows, seeming to smell a familiar smell of conspiracy.

"Yes, her son Yang Xing was given the surname Li by the saint and was adopted as his adopted son."

Cheng Yuanzhen quickly added that he believed Li Chen should understand the importance of this "adopted son".

Could this "adopted son" be specially arranged to provide a backup for the future prince?

A question flashed through Li Chan's mind, but he soon realized there was a paradox. If Li Xing wants to ascend to power, the support of the Yang family is indispensable. The more aunties, uncles, etc., the more the better!

But now that Mrs. Qin has died of illness, Mrs. Guo has died drunk, and Yang Yuhuan’s solitary grave has been smashed by Brother Ji, it seems like the emperor is venting his anger!

Li Chen was even more confused at this moment. Yang Yuhuan gave Brother Ji a happy time. In addition to sleeping with him, Yang Yuyao also gave birth to a son for Brother Ji.

What's up with this?

If there were no major changes, even a beast wouldn't be able to do such a weird thing, right?
When Li Chan was young, he was hunting in the Royal Forbidden Garden, and a trap caught the thigh of a wolf. At that time, he felt compassion and asked the guards to remove the animal trap. Throughout the entire process, the wild wolf showed no resistance or any hostility.

Li Chen knew very well what Brother Ji was like. Although he was arrogant and selfish, he was also particularly greedy and hypocritical. But to reward those who are good to themselves to prompt others to follow suit, this is the most basic principle of an emperor!

Thinking of this, Li Chen was almost certain that something big had happened to his beastly father!
"Go back home, I am tired."

Li Chen said calmly, having already made up his mind. He had to find a way to investigate this matter.

……

"How did things go?"

In a certain bedroom in the Huaxianhui Building, Ji Ge asked Gao Lishi without raising his head while "enjoying" the leech blood.

"Back to the saint, Yang Yuhuan's cemetery has been filled up and the coffin has been burned to ashes."

Gao Lishi said cautiously.

"I'm not asking you about this."

Brother Ji waved his hand gently and continued: "I am asking, have you found out about the men who had affairs with the three Yang women? How many have you found out?"

His face was gloomy and he looked like he was about to eat someone.

Gao Lishi had no choice but to defend: "The three Yang sisters are dissolute by nature, and there are countless men who have had affairs with them. There are even many central officials among them. I have found some, but there must be some who have slipped through the net."

Seriously, he tried his best. Men who publicly boasted about playing with the three Yang sisters were recorded.

But who dares to say that there is no such thing as an affair behind the scenes?

“Every member of the Yang family, regardless of age or sex, will be killed within three months and within a six-month deadline.

If the death is due to an accident, then I will commend the Yang family for being dignified as officials, and things must be done well.

However, those who have had an affair with the Yang family, as long as they are still in Chang'an without official positions, will be killed within three days, including their family members.

Those who are not in Chang'an will be killed within one month.

For those who have official positions, within three months, let Zheng Shuqing find a way to get them into the Dali Temple Prison. They can find any excuse, such as being disrespectful to me with unobstructed words.

Let him go to the Dali Temple prison to find out who has this strange disease like mine. After verification, punish the three tribes and kill them all.

Those who are not sick will be dismissed from office and will never be used again.

No matter how high the official position or the scope of the matter, there will be no mercy when killing is necessary. It is better to kill a thousand people by mistake than to let one person go. "

Brother Ji's tone was indifferent and he said something that made Gao Lishi frightened.

(End of this chapter)