Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 872 The Resilient Marquis of Anshun
At night, the main residence of the Marquis of Anshun was brightly lit, in no way inferior to the other wealthy and powerful families in Renmei Lane.

Perhaps only families like the Qian and Yang, whose members make a fortune every day, have lights that shine brighter than those in Li Renxiao's mansion.

It seems that although Li Renxiao got beaten up, he really succeeded in getting his unpaid wages.

Now, they don't even feel bad about using up the lamp oil in the mansion.

Faint sounds of string and wind instruments and singing could be heard, indicating that a night banquet was taking place.

With so many lights on even in the outer corridor, it's really become "spacious".

However, Marquis Anshun himself was not here.

In a dark spot by the west wall of the backyard, a shadowy figure cautiously surveyed the surroundings before leaping in, landing as lightly as a cat inside the courtyard wall.

From a distance, the two spies from the "fellow boat" quietly peeked out.

They were cautious and did not follow.

One of them made a gesture, and the other nodded, quickly disappearing into the night.

Not long after, he appeared in the east wing of Yang Yuan’s residence, the courtyard where the three Fujiwara sisters lived.

However, Fujiwara Himeka returned to Japan and is not currently there.

The woman kneeling gracefully at the table was the alluring and prolific Empress.

The man in black who was "on the same boat" reported in a low voice: "That person is from the Tuoba tribe. He sneaked all the way from Xingqing Prefecture to Lin'an and just entered the Anshun Marquis's residence."

Our subordinates did not disturb them and had men keep watch outside. This person's origins and the people he met during his journey from Xingqing Prefecture to Lin'an Prefecture were all recorded in this record.

As he spoke, he took out a note from his sleeve and presented it to Duozi with both hands.

Duo Zi took it and nodded with a smile: "I understand. I will report this to my master. Keep a close watch and don't expose yourselves."

"Yes!"

The person on the same boat clasped his hands in a salute and quietly slipped out of the room.

Duozi opened the journal, looked at it under the lamp, smiled slightly, and then lit it on the fire.

"You're getting bolder and bolder. Aren't you afraid your master will find out and punish you?" a voice suddenly rang out.

Duozi looked at the flames and said with a smile, "Master won't know, will he? Would you tell him?"

Tako threw the lit note into the earthenware jar, rested her chin on her hand, and looked at Tsubakiya Kona, who emerged from the shadows, with a hint of provocation.

Xiao Nai wrinkled her nose but didn't say anything.

Duo Zi stretched lazily: "What's the point of being a powerful minister who is always on guard and walking on thin ice?"
Since the Zhao family members are not human, why doesn't the master himself become the emperor?

Xiao Nai pouted: "Then you can't be the empress. Okay, Sister Ji Xiang agrees too."

She said that Duozi, that little bitch, is only good for talking and is a useless piece of trash who can't even kill a chicken.

If you need anything, just let me know.

Duo Zimei smiled and said, "I knew it. That little hussy is just like me; she's not a docile woman."

……

The brightly lit area of ​​the Marquis of Anshun's residence is located in the main house.

The main residence was inhabited by the former Empress Dowager Ren and Empress Wang of the Great Xia Dynasty.

The head of the family, Marquis Anshun, lived in a secluded side courtyard where there were no lights at night, while the main courtyard was where they lived.

If it were only Empress Dowager Ren residing here, it could be explained as Emperor Li Renxiao emphasizing filial piety.

But the former empress also lives here, separated from the former emperor, which is quite intriguing.

However, if you saw the scene in the hall at this moment, you might not have any doubts.

The hall was adorned with painted beams and carved pillars, its ceilings and algae were vibrant, and the curtains hung down. The tables, chairs, and desks were all lacquered and polished, exuding luxury and opulence.

The mansion bestowed by the emperor is a very good way to honor the former emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty.

But now, that facade has been completely torn off.

Kabuki performers lined up in the middle, and in front of the screens on both sides, musicians played the zither, the qin, the sheng, and the flute.

Normally, given the current expenditures of the Marquis of Anshun's residence, such extravagance is not appropriate.

Although the Ren and Wang families had their own savings, there was no need for them to be so extravagant.

But since that person is coming tonight, it's only natural to make it a bit more special.

The six dancers were elegant and charming, their long sleeves fluttering as they gazed at each other with smiles.

Yang Yuan sat at the head of the table, flanked by Ren Shi and Wang Shi, who served him food and wine from time to time.

Yang Yuan said in a low voice, "Isn't this... a bit too high-profile?"

I climbed over the wall to get in, okay? And this is how you guys treat me? What was the point of climbing over the wall then? Wouldn't it have been better if I had just come in through the main entrance?
Lady Ren chuckled and said, "What is Your Majesty worried about? The entire Anshun Marquis's residence is now managed by me and Yunmei. No one will leak any information out."

Yang Yuan sighed inwardly and said nothing more.

He knew perfectly well why the two women were being so high-profile today.

A phoenix with fallen wings is no better than a chicken. Now, Li Renxiao's status in the Marquis of Anshun's mansion has fallen to that of a dog, and even the servants no longer give him any respect.

As for Ren Muyan and Wang Yunmei, even though these servants were originally sent by the Ren family, their respect for them was certainly not as great as before.

However, we still need to show them some respect.

And they couldn't possibly not notice this difference.

My maternal family is far away in the northwest. If I let this situation continue, the servant will become a wicked servant, and it's not impossible that he will even deceive his master.

Even the shrewd and capable Wang Xifeng in "Dream of the Red Chamber" complained to her husband about the difficult times caused by the housekeepers.

Ping'er went even further, directly berating the housekeepers and maids: "If Second Mistress were even slightly less capable, she would have been brought down by you maids long ago. Even so, whenever she gets a spare moment, she still makes things difficult for her, and she's failed to live up to your expectations several times. Everyone says she's formidable, and you're all afraid of her, but only I know that deep down she's not entirely unafraid of you either..."

Therefore, Madam Ren and Madam Wang publicly displayed him, even at the cost of being gossiped about behind his back by the maids and servants, just to tell these people:

Don't think that just because Li Renxiao has fallen, we are orphans and widows with no one to rely on.

Our current backer is quite powerful. Sure enough, when the stewards, old women, servants, and maids saw that the Prince of Yan, who had beaten his own lord so badly that he couldn't get out of bed, was actually sitting in the main seat of the host with Mu Shi and Wang Shi serving him intimately, they were first dumbfounded, and then their attitude became extremely submissive.

Judging from the extremely pleased expressions on the faces of Madam Ren and Madam Wang, these people had clearly never been so apprehensive towards the two mistresses before.

Upon seeing this, Yang Yuan couldn't help but feel a pang of pity.

However, their identities were too sensitive, and even though Yang Yuan was now the most powerful minister, he dared not defy public taboos by welcoming them back to the Yang residence.

In the past, I thought about relinquishing military power and becoming a carefree king, so apart from self-preservation measures, I didn't do much business.

Now that we've embarked on a path of no return, we must make changes.

Western Xia will be a key area for future development.

Both the Ren and Wang families are prominent clans in Western Xia. Perhaps I can gradually assign them to manage the affairs of Western Xia.

With such power in their hands, the two of them would no longer suffer such an embarrassing fate.

……

Compared to the sharp-witted Ren Muyan and Wang Yunmei, Li Renxiao, who was in a truly precarious situation, was very tenacious.

If it were someone else, a former emperor, reduced to this state and discarded like trash by his own wife, he would probably have gone mad long ago.

Despite suffering mistreatment from Yang Yuan outside, his wife at home, and being treated coldly by the servants, Li Renxiao, who had become a clown, still stubbornly continued to live.

Perhaps this tenacious will was forged from the moment he ascended the throne, living in the shadow of Ren Dejing.

Seeing Li Renxiao's calm and composed demeanor, the envoy couldn't help but secretly praise him, thinking that this was the demeanor that the emperor of our Great Xia should have.

The secret envoy knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue of the Great Song Dynasty has recently been diverting the military pay and salaries of the Western Xia army for other purposes."

The officials of the Western Xia Road imposed levies on the various tribes of our Great Xia and extorted money from the people.

Throughout our Great Xia, discontent is rampant. The leaders of the nine Tuoba tribes have secretly plotted to raise an army to expel the Song traitors and welcome His Majesty back to the throne.

Li Renxiao suddenly pinched his thigh, using the pain to keep himself calm.

"When Yang Yuan left our Great Xia, he laid out a backup plan. It will be difficult for us to stir up any trouble. Can we succeed?"

The envoy said confidently, "Your Majesty, rest assured, the Song army has suffered heavy losses in Shaanxi, and the western route forces have been greatly reduced."

Emperor Zhao Qi installed his cronies in power, causing the generals of the Western Army to become disloyal and alienated.

Now, not only are the actions of the officials in Xixia Road unpopular, but a rebellion has also broken out in Xiliang Prefecture near Dali.

Under these circumstances, there is a great chance that our Great Xia Dynasty can be restored.

"Good! I knew it. Such a hasty approach will collapse completely when faced with any trouble."

Li Renxiao sneered, "So what if he was Yang Yuan? Even someone as powerful as the First Emperor, who unified the six kingdoms, still faced numerous rivals and his reign ended after only two generations!"

Immediately, Li Renxiao's gaze sharpened: "However, while I appear carefree in Lin'an, I am actually surrounded by the eyes and ears of the Ren family and the court."

Even stepping out of Renmei Ward is as difficult as ascending to heaven. Do you have any way to rescue me and bring me back to Great Xia?

The messenger hesitated and said, "This... I have come to inform Your Majesty of the changes in the Great Xia Dynasty so that Your Majesty can make preparations as soon as possible."

Because we were unaware of His Majesty's current situation, we couldn't think of a way to rescue him.

Your Majesty, please rest assured, we will eventually find a way to rescue you.

However, this matter concerns whether the dynasty of our Great Xia can continue, and many possibilities must be taken into account.

Therefore, Your Majesty, please make all necessary arrangements, such as... who can take charge of the situation for us while Your Majesty is away from Great Xia.”

Upon hearing this, Li Renxiao's heart sank.

Those people probably don't actually want to save him.

Or rather, they were unwilling to risk failure to rescue him.

After all, to save him, we had to do it before the uprising started.

Otherwise, once the uprising starts, Li Renxiao will definitely be imprisoned, and it will be almost impossible to save him then.

However, saving him first would expose the secret that the former officials of the Great Xia Dynasty wanted to restore their kingdom.

So, most likely, these people just want him to designate an heir, right?
And that person was the one who raised the banner after the uprising began.

If the uprising succeeds, he will very likely become the future emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty.

He was ultimately reduced to a pawn.

Li Renxiao felt a pang of sorrow, but... when he thought of all the humiliations he had suffered...

The hatred of national subjugation, the hatred of having his wife taken away, the scorn of servants, and Yang Yuan's repeated beatings to him...

Don't assume that he was completely unaware of Wang's affair with Yang Yuan.

How could such a thing possibly escape the notice of everyone in the manor?

The eunuchs who used to serve him had already told him this with sarcasm.

After thinking it over, Li Renxiao finally made up his mind.

He was willing to go all out as long as he could cause Yang Yuan some trouble.

Perhaps, the Xia dynasty's loss of Song might allow them to completely bring down Yang Yuan.

After all, foreign wars have always been a weapon of the Song Dynasty, a weapon for officials in the court to fight for power and profit.

The outcome of foreign wars has always been a weapon used by the imperial court to launch a counterattack and settle scores between the two sides.

"Very well, I will write a blood-stained edict, and you will take it back!"

Li Renxiao tore off a piece of his underwear lining and moved the dim oil lamp closer.

He thought for a moment, then bit his finger and wrote it down stroke by stroke on his belt.

"If I die in Song, the throne shall pass to the man in black!"

(End of this chapter)