The Bad Guys: Playing the Fake Li Xingyun at the Beginning

Before nightfall, candles were already lit in the hall. Exquisite animal-shaped palace lanterns stood in the corners, emitting light. The burning white candles actually gave off a faint fragrance.

The whole hall was illuminated as if it were daytime. Li Siyuan was bent over his desk, writing with his imperial hand and reading memorials.

Although he was only a general, he was the real ruler of Jin State and spent a lot of time dealing with government affairs every day. Although he was an old-fashioned man, it must be said that since he took charge of Jin State, the land of the Three Jins quickly stabilized, the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, and the national strength was gradually improving.

But even so, he still could not replace Li Cunxu.

Suddenly, he frowned, and a bad feeling came over him, as if he was being stared at by a ferocious beast. He raised his head and scanned the hall, but there was no one there.

But this feeling is real. A drop of cold sweat dripped from his forehead. He never doubted his intuition because he was a warrior, a warrior standing at the pinnacle of martial arts. There were only a few people in this world who could compare with him.

And there is only one person in this world who can hide his perception.

Thinking of this, Li Siyuan quickly stood up from the table, walked to the center of the hall, prostrated himself on the ground, and said respectfully, "Your Highness, I, Li Siyuan, respectfully welcome you."

The cold touch coming from his forehead could not extinguish the fear in his heart, and his hands hidden in his sleeves kept shaking.

He regretted it.

Chapter 20 Li Siyuan, do you know your crime?

Li Siyuan originally thought that Li Xingyun would just do small things like before, and that he would not be able to accomplish anything with just the few people he had. The fact that the Bad People had not made any moves also made him relax his vigilance.

But he didn't expect that Yuan Tiangang would come to Luoyang in person to support him.

What is he going to do? Is he going to die?

I'm not willing to accept this. I really am not willing to accept this.

Drops of cold sweat fell from his forehead and dripped onto the floor. The atmosphere in the hall was stagnant at this moment, and the space seemed to be frozen.

After an unknown amount of time, a hoarse voice rang out, "Li Siyuan, do you admit your guilt?"

In an instant, Li Siyuan shuddered all over, kowtowed like pounding garlic, and quickly responded, "I know my crime, I know my crime, please spare my life, Marshal!" At this moment, he was like a humble ant, and his dignity, status, and power all vanished into thin air.

He only knew that if he could not obtain the forgiveness of the Bad Commander today, he would not be able to walk out of this hall alive.

In fact, he didn't know that Su Ming had already written his script and all he had to do was go on stage to perform.

Suddenly, Li Siyuan's eyes went dark, the candlelight in the hall flickered, and a figure stood in front of him. "As a vassal, you are disrespectful to the emperor, which is the first crime. You are shirking your responsibilities and doing things perfunctorily, which is disloyal to the emperor, which is the second crime. The emperor came from afar, but you ignored him and were disrespectful in front of him, which is the third crime."

Yuan Tiangang leaned forward gently, and a hoarse voice sounded in his ear, "How are you going to make up for these three sins?"

The deep voice was like a bolt of lightning that struck Li Siyuan's heart. He froze immediately, and his body trembled even more violently. "I know my crime and am willing to be punished. I will leave it to you, Marshal, to deal with me."

Yuan Tiangang put his hands behind his back, came to the imperial desk, and picked up the memorial he had just reviewed. "It's not me who is disciplining you, it's the emperor who is disciplining you. You must remember this firmly!"

Li Siyuan was immediately delighted. He had passed the test. He kowtowed again and said, "I will definitely keep this in mind."

As long as Yuan Tiangang doesn't punish him, Li Xingyun won't matter to him. He can be easily dealt with and controlled.

However, Yuan Tiangang's next words immediately made him stunned, "I asked you to take charge of Jin State. Now that the emperor has returned, you can return."

"The emperor and I will never forget the contributions you have made over the years. When the emperor ascends the throne, I will ask for a reward from him."

In the end, Li Siyuan could no longer hear what Yuan Tiangang was saying. The only thought left in his mind was that his good days were coming to an end.

The reason why he holds great power now is that no one is suppressing him. No one in Jin State can go against him. He can be regarded as the most powerful vassal state in Jin State.

But once Li Xingyun ascends the throne and raises the banner of reviving the Tang Dynasty, his own advantages will be gone, and even his base will be gradually eroded.

Anyone faced with this situation would rise up in resistance. At this point, no one could tolerate having another so-called "Son of Heaven" above them.

If he was a puppet, it would be fine, but Li Xingyun looked like he was going to be a puppet? Was he willing to be a puppet?

But Yuan Tiangang was here, so even if he was extremely unwilling, he had to hold his nose and endure it, otherwise death would be waiting for him.

With Yuan Tiangang's martial arts skills, it probably wouldn't take too much effort to deal with him. At most, after his death, Jin State would be in chaos for a while, and when Li Xingyun ascends the throne, things would remain the same.

The current situation will not collapse because of his death.

Yuan Tiangang could even kill Li Cunxu, let alone him.

After Li Siyuan came to his senses, he kowtowed again and said, "Thank you for your grace, Marshal. The affairs of state are difficult, and I have been overwhelmed for a long time. I have been working day and night, fearing that I would disappoint you. Now that the emperor has returned, I can finally take the burden off my shoulders and hand it back to the emperor. I have waited for this day for too long."

At the end of his speech, Li Siyuan's voice was choked with sobs, as if he was truly a loyal minister who had served his country wholeheartedly.

Hearing this, Yuan Tiangang's movement of flipping through the memorials froze slightly. He turned his head and stared at Li Siyuan. His gloomy eyes emitted a cold light, as if he wanted to devour him.

The greatest treachery appears loyal, the greatest falsehood appears true, the greatest evil appears good; Li Siyuan perfectly interprets this point. No wonder he always emphasizes in front of him that Li Siyuan has wolfish ambitions and great plans.

Although he had long known what kind of person Li Siyuan was, when Yuan Tiangang saw him with his own eyes he felt dazed, as it reminded him of An Lushan and Shi Siming back then.

Once upon a time, these two people also crawled at Xuanzong's feet like loyal dogs.

Thinking of this, Yuan Tiangang showed a faint smile on his face hidden behind the mask, and the last trace of murderous intent in his heart gradually faded away.

Well, just leave it to him as a whetstone.

He walked up to Li Siyuan and said calmly, "Within a month, I want to see Li Xingyun ascend the throne in Luoyang. This is your last chance."

In an instant, huge pressure surged from all directions, bending Li Siyuan's back and making him feel suffocated. He clenched his fists and replied unwillingly, "I obey your command."

However, when he finished speaking, he waited for a moment, but there was no response. After a full half hour, he dared to raise his head, but Yuan Tiangang had already left.

"Whoo~"

Looking at the empty hall, Li Siyuan seemed to have all the strength drained out of his body and collapsed to the ground. Only then did he realize that his inner lining was completely soaked with sweat.

At the entrance of the hall, a cry of surprise came, "General..."

"Oh!"

The next moment, a powerful palm force tore through the air and hit the eunuch firmly, knocking him away. He fell heavily to the ground without a sound.

At some point, Li Siyuan stood up and walked to the entrance of the hall. He looked at the corpse on the ground with narrowed eyes, "You are looking for death yourself, you can't blame me!"

I don't know whether this sentence is referring to the eunuch or to himself.

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Lu Linxuan took Zhang Zifan and Li Cunyi back to the post station in the shortest time possible. As Zhang Zifan expected, when they came back, the Buliang Commander had left, leaving only Li Xingyun lying in the courtyard, staring at the sky with lifeless eyes, wondering what he was thinking.

"Brother Li, what is the Bad Leader doing here?" Zhang Zifan poured himself a cup of tea, drank it all in one gulp, and made a happy sound.

"Haven't you guessed it all? Why are you asking me?" Su Ming rolled his eyes, exposing his thoughts.

Zhang Zifan sighed, "He really came to urge you. This bad guy is really pushing you hard."

In his opinion, Su Ming came to Luoyang and never left the house. He had been idle for half a month. How could the bad commander tolerate this? He was not surprised that he came to his door.

Su Ming stood up, looked at the others, and said seriously, "Alas, once he comes, the peaceful situation in Luoyang will be disrupted. Brother Zhang, big brother, you must be careful from now on. Li Siyuan may make a big move."

Chapter 21: The joys and sorrows of people are not shared

Li Cunyi, who was standing by, was waving a broken folding fan, his face flushed with drunkenness, and he showed a sly smile, "Yuan Tiangang came to Luoyang in person, and Li Siyuan must be sitting on pins and needles, and he must be worried all day long. Now, he should be the one who is anxious."

Lu Linxuan finally came to his senses, "Brother, you just said that you have been waiting for someone. Is it Yuan Tiangang?"

Su Ming rolled his eyes, "Who else do you think I'm waiting for?" Only after talking about this did Lu Linxuan realize that there are indeed only a few women who are suitable for playing politics.

"After descending Xuanwu Mountain, I contacted the Bad People and asked them to come and help me. Otherwise, we would not be able to defeat Li Siyuan, let alone take back the power of Jin from him."

"Wait, Brother Li, what do you mean by taking back the power of Jin?" Zhang Zifan asked curiously.

Su Ming smiled slightly, "Yuan Tiangang told me that after Li Keyong died, he let Li Siyuan take over the Jin Kingdom, so isn't it legitimate for me to take it back now?"

After hearing this explanation, Zhang Zifan and Li Cunyi couldn't help but gasp. Was Yuan Tiangang waiting for this day after making arrangements in advance?

Su Ming returned to the topic and continued, "Okay, let's not worry about this for now. I will go to Li Siyuan tomorrow. This time, I'm afraid he won't dare to shirk responsibility and must give me an explanation and an explanation to all the princes in the world."

"The news of my arrival in Luoyang has spread all over the world in the past half month. The governors of various places are watching his actions. This will determine our future."

"Li Siyuan wanted to use me as a banner to command the heroes of the world and re-establish the Later Tang Dynasty. The news spread so quickly, and the Tongwenguan played a big role. But he didn't expect that the Bad People were also fanning the flames. The Bad Leader Yuan Tiangang even went to Luoyang in person to intervene in this matter."

"This way, everything is out in the open. In fact, I don't want to hide it from you anymore. Yuan Tiangang asked me to ascend the throne in Luoyang and rebuild the Tang Dynasty."

As soon as these words came out, everyone was shocked.

Is he so powerful? They originally thought that they could have a place to stay in Jin State and grow stronger slowly, but they didn't expect Yuan Tiangang to use a big move right away and make Li Xingyun the emperor in one step.

Su Ming pretended to be about to cry but couldn't, his face full of sorrow, "Tell me, what should I do now? If I take this step, there's no turning back."

If it were him, he would of course be happy to do so, but he is Li Xingyun now and he has to pretend to be presentable. The more he does this, the more the people around him will believe in him.

Su Ming kept this in mind for such a long time, which is why he got along with them so well and played his role so perfectly.

Zhang Zifan flicked his wrist and spread out the folding fan. The Bagua pattern on the fan was very conspicuous. He looked at Li Cunyi and advised, "Brother Li, why are you so pessimistic? If you really become the emperor and unify the world, the time to restore the Tang Dynasty will become shorter. In this way, you can complete Yuan Tiangang's mission sooner and reunite with Ji Ruxue sooner."

"You don't want to meet again after more than ten years. By then, everything will have changed and no one knows what will happen."

Although these words were cruel, they spoke the truth. Now Zhang Zifan and the Tianshi Mansion behind him had been tied to the chariot, and they had to cheer Su Ming up as soon as possible.

Li Cunyi took a sip of wine and wiped his mouth. "Li Xingyun, if you don't stand up and let Li Siyuan continue like this, the people of Jin will suffer. After becoming the emperor, at least you can do something for the people of the world."

At this time, Lu Linxuan also persuaded with a serious face: "Brother, a small doctor treats people, a great doctor treats the country. You once told me this truth. Now I return it to you. I hope you can consider it carefully. No matter what decision you make, I support you."

Facing everyone's persuasion, Su Ming had a bitter look on his face, but he was actually smiling from ear to ear in his heart.

Alas, as Li Xingyun, he was really helpless. He was completely forced to reach this point today, and he didn't want it to be like this.

Su Ming drooped his eyelids, looking lost and depressed. He sighed, "Okay, I'll do as you say. I will try my best to be a good emperor."

After saying that, he lowered his head and staggered away.

That back view was full of helplessness and sadness.

Looking at Su Ming's departing back, Lu Linxuan's eyes became moist. He turned to look at Zhang Zifan and held his hand. "Zifan, is this really okay for us?"

Zhang Zifan's eyes flashed with a trace of pity, and he let out a long breath, "Lin Xuan, we are doing this for his own good. A short pain is worse than a long one. Only in this way can he be reunited with Ji Ruxue sooner, and only in this way can he escape from Yuan Tiangang's clutches sooner."

Li Cunyi held the wine gourd and drank it madly, muttering, "You are right, a short pain is worse than a long pain. We can't just watch him sink and do nothing. This is for his own good."

"Don't worry, Xingyun just can't figure it out for the time being. He will understand our painstaking efforts sooner or later."

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The joys and sorrows of one person are not shared.

Su Ming was secretly happy, but Li Siyuan was unhappy.

As soon as he entered the room, Li Cunli smelled a strong smell of alcohol. He frowned, walked forward, and saw Li Siyuan lying on a soft couch, reeking of alcohol, surrounded by wine jugs.

Li Siyuan propped himself up, picked up the wine pot and said to Li Cunli, "Oh? Sixth brother, you are here, come, come... accompany me to have a good drink, hiccup."

After saying that, he burped several times in a row.

"Brother, what's wrong with you? What happened?" When Li Cunli saw his look, he stepped forward, snatched the wine jug from his hand, and helped Li Siyuan sit up.