Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 540 Not Qualified

Pei Yan and Li Jingxuan walked together on the road to apologize to Li Hong, and both of them were heartbroken.

A mixture of resentment, grief, indignation, helplessness and rage.

Pei Yan had no other thoughts except regret.

He did not regret everything he had done, but he regretted why he recommended Chen Qingsi to Li Zhi. Why did he covet Yu Shinan's calligraphy, which led to the current situation? If he had not recommended Chen Qingsi, how could he have caught the emperor's eye with his status?
I regret it!
Li Jingxuan was frightened but also a little crazy. He was unwilling to accept this!

Thinking of his hard work, the elders of the clan flattered him to establish a relationship with the Zhaojun Li family in order to make him stand out. In order to be worthy of the cultivation of his clan, he served Ma Zhou, Xu Jingzong, and Cen Wenben with all his might like a dog with a broken spine. In order to expand his network, he married three daughters from Shandong clans. Relying on diligence and prudence, he climbed up step by step and entered Chongxian Hall, becoming the tutor of Li Zhi, who was still the crown prince, and finally became Li Hong's minister in the palace, and then today, he has become an assistant minister.

Li Jingxuan endured this step by step for thirty years. He had obviously already held great power, but now the power was snatched away by someone. Not to mention his future, even his life was in doubt.

He looked at Pei Yan, who had already accepted his fate, walking step by step towards the palace, towards the end of power. He suddenly grabbed Pei Yan and pulled him to the corner of the wall. He ordered the palace servants beside him, grabbed Pei Yan's sleeves, and stared with his eyes wide open, his eyeballs so red that they almost jumped out of their sockets. He looked like a trapped beast.

"Zilong, are you really willing to let this end? Are you willing to let our future end like this? Are you really willing?"

Every word came out from between his teeth...

Pei Yan was shocked by Li Jingxuan's appearance, but looking at those eyes, he said, "Of course I am unwilling to accept this."

"Then let's take a gamble!"

When Li Jingxuan said this, his tone was a little trembling, but full of determination. He said: "If we go to see His Majesty now, the right to speak will be completely in the hands of Chen Qingsi. How do you think Chen Qingsi will record us? People in the future will read in history books that Pei Yan and Li Jingxuan were treacherous villains who deceived the monarch and tampered with the late emperor's will. They will be despised by millions of scholars in the future and will be infamous for thousands of years."

Every word Li Jingxuan spoke struck Pei Yan's heart.

Pei Yan was born in the Hedong Pei family, which was second only to the five surnames. With such an identity, he was destined to have no worries about food and clothing in this life, and he would not worry about his livelihood. All he wanted was power and fame.

Now he has lost his power and reputation, and will be infamous for eternity.

"How to bet?"

Pei Yan's voice came from his throat.

"When I transferred the personnel, I kept a plan in mind. I incorporated the Ten Commanderies of the Eastern Palace into the Northern Palace Imperial Guards, and transferred the Left and Right Yulin Armies of the late emperor to other places. At least in the palace, we still have room to maneuver."

Pei Yan glanced around and growled, "You're crazy, this is a mutiny."

Li Jingxuan said, "We are going to die anyway, so why not give it a try? In the early years, Emperor Taizong was not forced into a desperate situation by Prince Yin, and it was only through the Xuanwu Gate Incident that he was able to turn defeat into victory. What about now? Who would not praise Emperor Taizong? As long as we succeed, as long as we assist His Majesty to do a good job, this kind of political struggle will be nothing more than a trivial mention in the history books."

"I have already made a plan. You go to see His Majesty and find a way to summon Chen Qingsi to the palace. I will go to the Northern Court to mobilize troops in the name of His Majesty. As long as Chen Qingsi enters the palace, we will kill him inside. Then we will persuade His Majesty together, saying that Chen Qingsi had evil intentions and had been killed by us."

Pei Yan's throat moved and he said, "This... Your Majesty is kind and will not agree to it."

Li Jingxuan said angrily: "At that time, it was not up to him. His Majesty had his own ideas, otherwise he would not have agreed to our modification of the late emperor's will. We did it, and he might be unhappy and angry on the surface, but he might be happy in his heart. No matter how outstanding Chen Qingsi is, how many emperors are happy to see their ministers have more power than them?"

Li Jingxuan looked at Pei Yan with a burning gaze and said, "This is indeed a very risky matter, but it is the only way to survive. It will only lead to eternal infamy, so why not try to survive and give it a try? Let's go all out! How do you think?"

Pei Yan was silent for a moment, then said, "Fuck!"

Li Jingxuan was not overjoyed, but only had a last-ditch madness. He whispered, "Okay, you go and hold His Majesty back, and find a way to get Chen Qingsi into the palace. I'll go to the Northern Yamen to mobilize troops..."

He didn't say much, but walked forward step by step like a warrior.

Pei Yan was not so calm, but moved stiffly like a walking corpse. Only when he saw the Chengqian Hall where Li Hong worked came into his sight, he shuddered and turned around and left.

You can’t go crazy with Li Jingxuan.

There is no denying that he was moved.

But Pei Yan thought of the Pei family in Hedong. His crime now only implicated a few people, but if he really followed Li Jingxuan and went crazy, once he failed, not to mention the extermination of his family, at least his entire bloodline would be implicated.

The entire bloodline of the Pei family will perish because of his impulsiveness...

Pei Yan didn't dare to bear this result.

Pei Yan left the palace and headed towards Chen's house without stopping.

Chen Qingsi was a little surprised when Pei Yan wanted to see him, but he still invited him into the house.

One of them was in the hall, and the other was in the hall.

In the past, Chen Qingsi would have personally greeted Pei Yan when he came to visit, but this time he didn't even move.

The two looked at each other.

Chen Qingsi had a clear conscience, but Pei Yan was too embarrassed to respond. He lowered his head and did not dare to look him in the face.

Even though Pei Yan had a lot of objections to Chen Qingsi, he had to admit that recommending Chen Qingsi had brought him great convenience.

Chen Qingsi has been on a rapid rise in these years, so hasn't he helped me?

"burden……"

"Mr. Chen!"

Pei Yan said: "Li Jingxuan is crazy. He wants to incite the Northern Yamen Imperial Guards to launch a mutiny and take your life."

Chen Qingsi nodded, but did not respond to Pei Yan's question. He just called out, "Bring tea!" Then he sat down at his desk and wrote without paying any attention to Pei Yan.

Pei Yan didn't know how to start, so he could only sit aside and drink tea alone.

About an hour later, news came from outside that Han Sizhong wanted to see him.

"welcome!"

Chen Qingsi said as he walked quickly out of the lobby, stepped out of the door, and said, "Come together!"

When Pei Yan heard the name Han Sizhong, shock was revealed in his eyes.

He naturally knew who Han Sizhong was, the Right Feathered General and the second-in-command of the Northern Ya Forbidden Army.

He set off and followed Chen Qingsi.

Han Sizhong was seen striding towards him from afar. He was wearing armor and there was a bloody smell on his body.

"Mr. Chen! Li Jingxuan dared to collude with General Lei Siyuan of the Left Imperial Guards and incite the Northern Yamen Imperial Guards to rebel. I will kill him."

Han Sizhong greeted Chen Qingsi respectfully.

He can have his current status thanks to Chen Qingsi's secret help.

Han Sizhong is capable and ambitious, but lacks the ability to deal with people.

Han Sizhong's rise in the Eastern Palace was due to Wu Minzhi's favor and his outstanding polo skills. Wu Minzhi was generous and rewarded Han Sizhong with a lot of money and treasures, which led to him being excluded and looked down upon by the people in the Eastern Palace and he was not happy.

Chen Qingsi taught him how to deal with people, sent people to help him solve interpersonal relationships, and taught him the knowledge of leading subordinates.

Han Sizhong is a man of real talent but he doesn't know how to show it and how to get along with others. After he figured out his own problems, he successfully gained a foothold in the Eastern Palace.

This time when Li Hong ascended the throne, as a capable general of the Ten Rates Mansion, he was successfully promoted to General of the Right Feathered Guards, second only to Lei Siyuan.

Han Sizhong will always remember Chen Qingsi's guidance and teaching.

Chen Qingsi asked: "What is the reaction from His Majesty?"

Han Sizhong said, "I was a little frightened, but I didn't feel any extra discomfort. Then I heard about the reason why Li Jingxuan instigated the mutiny, so I specially summoned you to the palace."

"it is good!"

Chen Qingsi said: "Please lead the way, General. Now that we have settled our business, please have a drink."

Han Sizhong said hurriedly: "It's an honor."

Chen Qingsi glanced at Pei Yan and said, "Let's go, let's go into the palace together."

Pei Yan opened his mouth, but finally kept all his questions in his stomach.

After entering the imperial city and seeing the palace right before his eyes, Pei Yan couldn't help but ask, "Have you already calculated everything?"

Chen Qingsi laughed dumbly and said, "Do you really think I'm a god? Can I tell fortunes?"

Pei Yan said bitterly: "If this is not the case, how can you explain all this?"

Chen Qingsi said, "It's like playing backgammon. I know exactly how many chess pieces you have and what they are. But you have no idea how many chess pieces I have and what they are. People's minds are complicated, so how can I know what you are thinking? Besides, to be honest, I am not qualified to figure out your thoughts."

"I just matched up all the cards in your hands, so you can only sit and wait for death!"

This may sound a bit painful, but it is the truth.

Besides Li Zhi, the only people Chen Qingsi truly treated wholeheartedly were Empress Wu, Li Yifu, or Gal Dongzan and Lun Qinling, father and son. They are all dead now.

Pei Yan and Li Jingxuan are really not qualified.

This time, he spent so much effort just to win a little remaining face for Emperor Li Hong.

Otherwise, if the world knew that Li Hong was also involved in tampering with the late emperor's will, his already prestige would be further damaged.

Pei Yan shook his head and smiled bitterly, but tears welled up inexplicably. It turned out that in the other party's heart, he was not even an opponent.

Pei Yan accepted his fate and truly felt the gap.

For the sake of the Pei family, Pei Yan cooperated and took on the remaining small part of the crime. As for the majority of the crime, it was naturally Li Jingxuan who took it, but he was already dead and there was no evidence.

Now even the culprit for the first assassination was blamed on Li Jingxuan.

Li Jingxuan was the mastermind, Pei Yan was an accomplice...

They conspired to deceive their superiors and subordinates, tampered with Li Zhi's will, and planned a series of events in order to seize power.

Chen Qingsi did not let Pei Yan go, but did not kill him either. He simply exiled three generations of his direct descendants to Japan.

(End of this chapter)