Starting from the Tiger Demon Yaksha, the demon immortality

Chapter 322, Section 331: A New Emperor, A New Court
"Your Majesty! The traitor Li is less than ten li from the capital. We have a chance while we still can."

Inside the Taiji Palace, a eunuch dressed in purple robes and wearing a gauze crown knelt on the ground, speaking urgently.

Emperor Li Min, the twentieth emperor of the Qin Dynasty, had no interest in sitting on the dragon throne at this moment.

He walked past the kneeling eunuch, reached the doorway, and looked up at the gloomy winter sky.

He let out a long sigh.

"escape?"

"Can you escape?"

"Even if we escape the capital, where can we go?"

"Is there only one Zhu Quanzhong and one Li Yisheng in the world? Are all the others loyal and virtuous?"

"If that were the case, how could the Great Qin have come to this state today?"

The head eunuch, who had crawled to the emperor's feet, heard this and, overcome with grief, slammed his head against the floor tiles.
"It is because your subject is incompetent and your servants have failed in their duties that Your Majesty has been disgraced."

"Enough. I ordered you to gather intelligence; what's happening outside?"

Upon hearing this, the head eunuch stopped kowtowing, his voice still choked with emotion:
"The Zhu bandits and Yelü, the chieftain of the Qida bandits, have withdrawn their troops. The Qida barbarians launched an attack on Youzhou a day ago."

"The other military governors were also restless, and there were conflicts among them."

"What I need to know is the situation of Louguandao," Li Min said, his brows furrowing with impatience, a hint of nervousness, and hope.

"The Louguan Dao sect has moved away under the leadership of Yan Daotong, and the sect's disciple Xue Tianyun has also disappeared without a trace."

"They probably escaped, just like Qinglong Temple."

Li Min closed her eyes in pain, her clenched fists unable to loosen.

The weariness on his young face was visible to the naked eye, making him look decades older in an instant.

The silence lasted for a while before a deep voice broke the silence.

“When my master was alive, he was in charge of the central government. I thought that there were rebellious ministers everywhere in the world. With the power of the court, we would be able to punish the disobedient ministers sooner or later, revive the Qin Dynasty, and restore the glory of our ancestors.”

"But once my master died, the officials in the court seemed to have changed their tune."

"Nothing can be accomplished, no method works, and all sorts of people come to me with grievances and cry out."

"In such a chaotic and noisy place, where are the virtuous and loyal officials who serve the country?"

"I'm tired."

When Li Min opened her eyes again, she had already made a decision.

“Yu Chaozong, you go and deliver a message to Li Yisheng in person. Tell him that the country is in danger and only loyal and virtuous people can turn the tide.”

"Once he enters the capital, I will entrust all matters of state to his decision."

"There is only one condition: the soldiers must be disciplined and must not damage the capital or disturb the people."

"Your Majesty!" Yu Chaozong cried uncontrollably.

"The Duke of Zhao and his men are all loyal and devoted, willing to lead their troops and fight to the death."

Li Min smiled with relief, "Precisely because they are loyal and virtuous, I must preserve the bloodline of the Changsun and Yuchi families."

"Faced with a terrestrial deity, anything you do is a futile sacrifice."

"Besides, if I don't take the initiative, I'm afraid the Duke of Chen and the Duke of Tianshui will have to save face for me."

"Go, go, let Duke Zhao and the others escort you."

After Li Min finished speaking, she left without looking back.

Yu Chaozong had no choice but to wipe away his tears and go to the imperial palace.

Several young men dressed in the purple robes of dukes and marquises hurriedly came forward, the sound of armor clashing coming from their robes.

"Eunuch Yu, what did His Majesty say?"

Yu Chaozong repeated his words, and the young men all showed expressions of sorrow and resentment.

"How benevolent Your Majesty is, unable to bear the suffering of the people!"

"Those treacherous villains, the Duke of Tianshui! They betray their country as soon as it exists; they are truly despicable!"

"When the deposed crown prince was killed at Xuanwu Gate, Emperor Taizong should have executed the entire Tianshui County Duke's faction and his followers!"

After unleashing a torrent of abuse and venting their emotions, one of them, seemingly the leader, bowed to Yu Chaozong and said:
“Eunuch Yu, it’s hard to tell what everyone in the city is thinking these days, and too many eyes are on the capital.”

"Those people, like the Duke of Chen, want to claim credit for the emperor's rise to power; it's hard to say what they might do."

"Just in case, let me escort you out of the city."

“That’s what His Majesty means too,” Yu Chaozong nodded.

Before leaving, he turned back for one last look at the Taiji Palace deep within the imperial city.

The winter haze obscured the sunlight, making even the gleaming glass that reflected the sky lose its luster.

The once supreme hall, a symbol of the Purple Palace, now resembles a bottomless cage, drawing in all the ambitions and desires of the world.
"The emperor has taken the initiative to send an envoy to deliver a message?"

The blue lion beneath him impatiently spewed out white jets of air. Li Cunxiao was taken aback when he heard the fresh news from his father-in-law, and then his gaze went forward.

Beyond the long marching column, under the commander-in-chief's banner, one could vaguely see a small group of people surrounding a purple-clad eunuch.

A quarter of an hour ago, the troops from Hedong suddenly stopped advancing, and soon after, Ye Jingneng was summoned by the flying cavalry.

Soon, the whispers of the soldiers at the front reached the rear, with words such as "The Grand Eunuch is here," "It seems there is an imperial edict," and "The Prince of Jin is going to become the Prime Minister" reaching their ears.

But it wasn't until his father-in-law, Ye Jingneng, returned with a complicated expression and told him in person that Li Cunxiao was truly certain.

The current emperor of Qin has given up the struggle.

"That eunuch was Yu Chaozong, the chief eunuch by the emperor's side, and the people escorting him were from the lineage of the Duke of Zhao, Changsun."

"The Emperor's intention is to entrust all important affairs of the realm to the Prince of Jin, seeking only peace for the people of the capital."

"I suspect that some people in the capital are starting to get restless. After all, in that battle, Grand Secretary Gao Pian went all in and almost wiped out the capital's elite forces."

"Nowadays, the only ones who still have the strength to fight are basically the thousand or so imperial guards who guard the capital, and the retainers in the various dukes' and marquises' mansions."

"Those who will defect in advance are most likely the families of the Duke of Chen and the Duke of Tianshui."

Li Cunxiao seemed to be deep in thought.

Since Yan Daotong left, he has had a clear understanding of his own identity.

He was both a master alchemist in charge of logistics and a symbol of orthodoxy within the Taoist school.

In particular, Lou Guandao had close ties with powerful figures in the capital region in the past, and Li Yisheng would definitely need his help in dealing with the dukes and marquises in Daxing City.

So before going to the capital, he had his father-in-law give him a thorough crash course on the intricate network of noble families in the city.

There were many founding dukes and marquises of the Qin Dynasty, among whom the twenty-four generals of Lingyan Pavilion were the most prominent.

Originally, apart from a few families that had produced grandmasters, the status of the rest was about the same.

But Emperor Taizong was so powerful and lived so long that the Crown Prince was practically dying in the Eastern Palace before he could even ascend the throne.

On the contrary, his brothers are all in their prime and are very likely to take his place.

Therefore, when the old emperor finally showed signs of weakness, and the older grandmasters all reached the end of their lifespans, the crown prince could no longer restrain himself. He roared, "How can there be a crown prince who lives to be eighty?" and led his troops into Xuanwu Gate.

Then the crown prince became the deposed crown prince, and the Duke of Tianshui and others who conspired with him were all executed.

However, Emperor Taizong, mindful of the friendship forged in the past, still sought to adopt people from the remaining branches of each family to prevent the lineage from dying out and the ancestors from being deprived of offerings.

Nevertheless, the families that conspired with the deposed crown prince inevitably declined, and their relatives, seeing the prominence of other dukes and marquises, inevitably harbored resentment towards the imperial Li family.

It's not surprising that they've developed ulterior motives now.

Just as they were pondering this, the flags ahead changed, and the army, which had paused for a moment, resumed its march.

A rider galloped in and respectfully bowed his head before the nine-headed blue lion:

"Thirteen Protectors, the King requests that you come forward for a talk."

"understood."

Li Cunxiao nodded to Ye Jingneng, then patted the Green Lion. The latter shook its head somewhat reluctantly, and its original nine heads became one, and its size also decreased.

With lightning speed, they arrived at the massive chariot of the central army in the blink of an eye. Four fiery unicorns with flames blazing from their scales pulled the chariot, and even the green lion tensed its back upon seeing it.

'This is the stupa that suppresses all demons in the world. Even a seventh-tier demon can only pull it like a cart. What a grand scale!'

Envy flashed in Li Cunxiao's eyes. If he could exchange the dragon boat for the stupa, he would definitely be willing.

The endless stream of demons provided him with excellent resources for growth.

"Sanlang is here? Come in quickly, don't stand on ceremony."

Li Yisheng's hearty laughter rang out, but Li Cunxiao dared not be careless. He first paid his respects before entering the carriage.

This carriage is clearly some kind of spatial artifact; it looks quite large on the outside, but it's even larger inside, like a mobile courtyard.

Upon entering the carriage, one could see Li Yisheng seated at the head of the table, with the First Protector Li Siyuan and the Third Protector Li Cunxu sitting to his left.

To the right was a noble-looking, fair-skinned, beardless eunuch, and next to him were two familiar young men.

"Brother Li."

One of them was about to greet Li Cunxiao when he saw him, but was pinched hard by his companion.

Li Cunxiao pretended not to see it, bowed to the person at the head of the table, and naturally sat down to the person below Li Cunxu.

"Sanlang, you two know each other?"

Li Yisheng's eyes flickered, filled with inquiry.

Li Cunxiao remained calm upon hearing this, "I do know him."

"These two are Changsun Fu from the Duke of Zhao's mansion and Yuchi Bi from the Duke of E's mansion."

"The master of the Vermilion Bird Sect of Louguan is the previous Duke of Zhao. His disciple Guo Zhao once introduced me to various families in the capital."

"So, we know each other."

But we're not familiar with each other.

He didn't say the second half of his sentence, but everyone understood what he meant.

Upon hearing this, Yuchi Bi's eyes betrayed disappointment, but Changsun Fu echoed with a smile:

"Brother Li is a highly accomplished disciple of the Taiyi Zhenren. Even among noble families, which one would not want to be close to him? It's just a pity that we never had the chance to meet. I never imagined that he would now be serving in the Prince of Jin's court."

"The nation is in peril at the moment, and His Majesty has entrusted Your Majesty with a heavy responsibility. I'm sure Brother Li will have the opportunity to put his talents to good use."

His words, warm yet polite, neither too distant nor too intimate, put the three men from Hedong at ease.

Li Cunxiao was a newcomer, and they valued his ability to connect with the powerful families in the capital. However, if the connection became too deep and turned into collusion, that would be problematic.

"Alright, you two are both outstanding young talents who will serve the court in the future, and there will be many more opportunities for you to get closer."

Upon hearing this, Li Cunxiao glanced at Changsun Fu and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Right now, he has the Grandmaster Li Yisheng above him, so serving the emperor is like walking on thin ice. Regardless of what he really thinks, at least on the surface, he's on the same side as Hedong.

It is the hardest thing to fathom a person's heart. Yuchi Bi was reckless and almost got into trouble, but fortunately Changsun Fu reacted quickly enough.

"The world is in turmoil, and treacherous officials and villains are poisoning the people and stirring up trouble."

Li Yisheng, the number one traitor, spoke eloquently without any shame.

"His Majesty has entrusted me with this important task; how could I not devote myself wholeheartedly, working tirelessly from dawn till dusk?"

"However, the army is mostly composed of military men, and they are rather inept at civil administration. They still need the assistance of the officials in the capital."

"If the three of you have any insights into politics in the future, you may have Sanlang report them to me."

Upon hearing this, Li Cunxiao instinctively wanted to decline, but Li Cunxu patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile;
"Thirteenth Brother, don't refuse. Who else can do this job besides you?"

Ok?
Li Cunxiao glanced at them and saw that the three people opposite him looked relieved after Li Yisheng's arrangements, and he immediately understood.

Rather than saying that Li Yisheng was using him as a mouthpiece, it would be more accurate to say that he was using his status to appease the three people and the emperor behind them.

Li Yisheng's idea was actually simple: since the young emperor was sensible and took the initiative to relinquish power, he would reciprocate.

Sending a former member of the Louguan Dao sect meant that everything was negotiable and that no one would be beheaded in the capital unless absolutely necessary.

Of course, how many requests a deposed emperor would grant depended entirely on the Prince of Jin's mood.

In general, Li Yisheng's attitude towards the court was relatively mild, unlike Zhu Quanzhong, who spared no prisoners, killed them all and disposed of their bodies, and even blocked the river.

Having figured all this out, Li Cunxiao readily agreed, knowing that the coming period would likely be a honeymoon period between the imperial court and Hedong.

The situation should proceed smoothly until the Prince of Jin decides to ascend the throne.

With the matter settled, Yu Chaozong and the others had no desire for a banquet.

They arrived with the help of Changsun Fu and Yuchi Bi's household troops, but on their return, they were escorted by Li Siyuan's Hengchong Army and Li Cunxu's Silver Spear Army.

The two Taibao took over the city defenses first. When Li Cunxiao and others arrived at the city gate of the capital, the guards on the city wall had all been replaced by Hedong Yabing, and the flags also had a winged tiger design.

However, the glimpses of bloodstains caught by the eye as they entered the city gates indicated that not everyone could clearly see the situation.

However, after entering the city, seeing the relatively clean Zhuque Avenue and the calm faces of the court officials, it seemed that there were only some minor frictions and the overall situation was relatively stable.

Then the court officials longed for Prince Jin as if he were a life-giving rain, and said that only a virtuous and capable person like him could save the country from peril. Li Yisheng then pretended to decline, saying that he dared not.

After a joyful performance, neither side seemed to have gained much confidence, but the common people who had been peeking through the windows felt somewhat more at ease.

As long as they didn't rush in to burn, kill, loot, and drag away wives and daughters as soon as the city gates were opened, the Hedong army was already considered a royal army to them.

After the performance, the army dispersed to guard the four gates. Li Yisheng, accompanied only by his thirteen bodyguards and a small number of personal guards, arrived at the imperial city with a group of high-ranking officials.

Emperor Li Min seemed to have fully understood his situation and bestowed the highest honors upon the upcoming Prince of Jin.

The Taiji Palace has three gates: Shuntian Gate, Jiade Gate, and Taiji Gate.

As Li Yisheng passed through each gate, eunuchs would come out with imperial edicts to bestow titles upon him, so by the time he reached the gates of Taiji Palace, he had accumulated a long list of titles:

He was appointed Chancellor and concurrently Grand Chancellor, overseeing all affairs of state.
He was appointed Grand Marshal of the Army and concurrently Grand Commandant, in charge of all military and political affairs.
The original military governors and inspectors of Hezhong, Hedong, Zhaoyi, and Datong retained their original positions.

He entered the court without hastening his departure, wore sword and shoes into the palace, and was honored without being named during ceremonies; he also received the Nine Bestowments.

He reached the pinnacle of his official career!

(End of this chapter)