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

For a moment, only the sound of flipping pages echoed in the slowly moving carriage.

However, the book Li Xingyun was reading was not a medical book or a hexagram, but the "Records of the Three Kingdoms" in the history book. He flipped through it slowly and soon came to the biography of Cao Shuang. When he saw that Sima Yi betrayed the "Luoshui Oath" and exterminated Cao Shuang's three clans, his brows instantly frowned.

Somehow, he suddenly thought of Li Siyuan.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable watching it?" Yuan Tiangang's hoarse voice sounded.

Li Xingyun remained silent and shook his head.

"After the Gaopingling Incident, Sima Yi violated the Luoshui Oath and killed the three clans of Cao Zhen. His son Sima Zhao sent people to assassinate Emperor Cao Mao in the street. These events are shocking. They are lessons for the future. Don't you feel any pain at all, Your Highness?" Yuan Tiangang put down the Northern Qi history book in his hand and said lightly.

"Born in an imperial family, you have no control over your own affairs. Li Xingyun, you still haven't woken up until now. I thought you would come to me, but you would rather indulge in the beautiful dream of a gentle country than take that step."

"Since you don't want to find me, I have no choice but to break your beautiful dream and make you face the real reality. Now, I won't hide it from you. Your wish to retire from the world and not care about worldly affairs is no longer possible."

Li Xingyun could no longer sit still, and stood up instantly, glaring at him: "Yuan Tiangang, what do you mean! You clearly promised me at the beginning, but now you are going back on your word."

Yuan Tiangang sat there, looking at him calmly, "I have lived for three hundred years, and I have done everything. Don't forget, you are not qualified to negotiate with me. Let me teach you one more thing, anything anyone promises you does not count, only what you decide for yourself counts."

"Besides, even if I let you go, he won't let you go. You have the blood of the Li Tang family, the royal family's orthodoxy. He is just a fake."

"The emperor is the most honorable position in the world. Once he secures this position, do you think he will let you, your wife and children go?"

"Think carefully about what decision to make."

At this moment, Li Xingyun stared with his eyes wide open and opened his mouth, but had nothing to say. He was just naive, not stupid.

In the past, he just didn't want to think about it and deliberately ignored it.

Now that Yuan Tiangang has burst this bubble, he has to face the bloody fact that once that person sits firmly on the throne of the emperor, he will never let him go.

Sima Yi killed all three clans of Cao Zhen, so why couldn't he?

Cao Zhen was not yet the emperor and had already been defeated. Even so, Sima Yi still did not hesitate to violate the Luoshui oath. Now, he had threatened his throne as emperor.

If it were someone else, they might not let him go. This was not a fantasy, but a fact. With the bloody example before him, he had to believe it.

People only believe what they see with their own eyes, and may not believe what others say.

If Yuan Tiangang had said it at the beginning, he might not have accepted it.

After figuring it all out, a hint of disappointment flashed in Li Xingyun's eyes, and then he looked into Yuan Tiangang's eyes again. Why didn't he say it clearly at the beginning?

He forgot that if Yuan Tiangang said this on an isolated island overseas, would he still cooperate obediently like he did now? With his personality, he would definitely resist, and who knows how many troubles he would cause later.

If Li Xingyun was the kind of person who would obediently follow orders, Yuan Tiangang would have completed the task of restoring the Tang Dynasty long ago. Why would he have gone through so much trouble?

Until this moment, he had no way out. If he was alone, he could run around fearlessly. But he had a wife and children, and he had to worry about them. For them, he had to take the path designed for him by Yuan Tiangang.

Chapter 238 I support you

People like Li Xingyun will never face reality unless all his fantasies are shattered and his retreat is blocked. Just like after Gangzi's death, he was forced into a life-and-death situation by Li Siyuan, and had to rise up in resistance and take the retreat path prepared for him by Yuan Tiangang.

At this moment, he is the same.

He couldn't ignore the safety of his wife and children, he couldn't gamble, and he couldn't entrust the safety of his family to Su Ming's unknown kindness.

Human nature cannot stand the test.

The position of the emperor is supreme, who wouldn’t be tempted?

Thoughts and scenes emerged in Li Xingyun's mind. Recalling everything he had experienced since he came down the mountain, he was almost fighting against his own fate. Unexpectedly, in the end, he still couldn't escape.

A trace of bitterness gradually spread in his heart, and he looked at Yuan Tiangang with a sad look, "Yuan Tiangang, you win."

"Tell me, what do you want me to do?"

Hearing this, Yuan Tiangang's heart was also somewhat shaken. Although he had expected this step a long time ago, when he actually heard these words with his own ears, he still felt a lot of emotion in his heart.

After going around in circles, things finally returned to the starting point.

He stood up, his figure straight, like a pine tree. "I am very pleased that Your Highness understands this. Never wait until the situation is irreversible before regretting. The fight for the throne does not allow for the slightest softness. Even fathers, sons and brothers can be killed, let alone an outsider."

"Now, the two of you are incompatible. It's either you die or I live. If Your Highness wants to ensure the safety of your wife and children, then you should ascend the throne in this drama of the Longquan treasure and let the real Li Xingyun become the emperor." When he said this, his words were rarely excited.

Li Xingyun fell into silence and didn't say anything. Although he agreed, he still felt very unhappy. No one likes to be forced.

Yuan Tiangang guessed clearly what he was thinking, but so what?

Since he is not strong enough, he will just hold it in! He doesn't care whether Li Xingyun is willing or not. As long as the Tang Dynasty can be revived, he will not hesitate to use any means.

He stared at Li Xingyun, sighed in his heart, and advised in a deep voice, "There are some things that no matter how much I say, Your Highness will not understand. Only when people lose something, they will realize something. This time, you don't have many chips to lose. I can save Ji Ruxue once, but it doesn't mean I can save her the second or third time."

"If you continue like this, one day you will completely lose her and everyone around you!"

Just as Li Xingyun was thinking about the meaning of this sentence, his eyes blurred and something came towards him. He reached out to grab it, only to find that it was the book that Yuan Tiangang was reading.

"I have said enough. Next, Your Highness, please slowly comprehend it. I hope you will read this book carefully after you return. I believe Your Highness will definitely gain something from it."

Yuan Tiangang returned to his seat and sat down, reaching out and tapping the table lightly, "Meng Po, send His Highness back."

As soon as the words fell, an old voice outside the carriage followed closely, "I understand."

After saying that, Yuan Tiangang picked up the teacup and ignored him.

Li Xingyun looked at him deeply, said nothing, lifted the curtain and left. Outside the carriage, Meng Po was riding a war horse, waiting respectfully by the side.

"Your Highness, I will take you back."

"Meng Po, there's no need. I can go back by myself." After saying that, without waiting for Meng Po's response, Li Xingyun displayed his Qinggong skills, tapped his feet lightly, and jumped quickly on the roof of the carriage. After a while, he returned to their carriage.

As soon as he came in, Ji Ruxue looked at him with concern and asked, "Xingyun, are you okay?"

Li Xingyun shook his head without saying anything. He returned to sit next to Ji Ruxue, looking out the window with an uncertain gaze, but his thoughts had already drifted away.

He still needed to think carefully about Yuan Tiangang's words. Although he had already agreed to Yuan Tiangang, he still needed time to accept and adapt.

He had never thought about becoming an emperor, reviving the Tang Dynasty, and dominating the world. Now that he was suddenly promoted to that position, Li Xingyun was confused and at a loss.

He is not like those incompetent emperors in history who only cared about eating, drinking and having fun. He would not care about the chaos after his death. He would do his job well in his position. If he became emperor, Li Xingyun would try his best to do his best.

However, he knew that he was not capable enough and was very averse to this, but Yuan Tiangang insisted on doing so and he could do nothing about it.

As time passed, Li Xingyun's thoughts gradually returned. He reached out and held Ji Ruxue's hand, and said solemnly, "Xue'er, Yuan Tiangang wants me to be the emperor."

"What? Didn't he say that he would let us live in seclusion in the mountains after we found the Longquan treasure? How could he go back on his word?" Ji Ruxue asked with a frown.

"Xue'er, things are different from before. We have no way out. There is a cliff behind us. If we take another step back, we will die."

"This time, I really have no choice." As he said this, Li Xingyun held his head with both hands, his face full of sadness, like a helpless child.

Ji Ruxue had never seen him with such an expression before. She felt distressed and took him into her arms. "Xingyun, I don't blame you. You have done enough."

She patted Li Xingyun's back gently, her eyes full of pity. This man had to bear too much.

Feeling his warm breath on her chest, Ji Ruxue said softly, "Xingyun, no matter what you do, I will support you and follow you." Her voice was not loud, but very firm.

Women are weak by nature, but strong when they become mothers.

Now, this is no longer just a matter between the two of them, especially with the baby in her belly, which leaves her no reason to retreat.

Avoiding is not a long-term solution. Many things have to be faced eventually.

Soon, Li Xingyun cheered up, got up from Ji Ruxue's arms, looked at her and the baby in her belly, he clenched his fists, his eyes full of determination.

For them, he will not retreat again!

"Xue'er, don't worry. As long as I'm here, no one can hurt you in the future." He promised solemnly.

Ji Ruxue didn't say much, just nodded silently.

After clearing away all the emotions in his heart, Li Xingyun began to look through the history book that Yuan Tiangang gave him. The book was not thick, only a dozen or so pages, and it seemed to be a collection of specially selected excerpts.

It tells the old story of Yuan Shanjian, the puppet emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty. There are a few sentences that stand out: Wenxiang said angrily, "I! I! Dog-footed I!" Wenxiang ordered Ji Shu to punch the emperor three times, and then rushed out.

Then, Wenxiang led his troops into the palace and said, "Your Majesty, why do you want to rebel? My father and I have made great contributions to the country, how can we let you down?"

The Wenxiang here is the elder brother of Gao Yang, the later Emperor of Northern Qi, who was stabbed to death by the cook.

Those glaring words flashed in front of Li Xingyun's eyes. He knew that Yuan Tiangang was reminding him and trying to deceive him. There were old precedents set by the previous monarchs. If you give in, will your fate be better than theirs?

Thinking of this, Li Xingyun clenched his fists and finally made up his mind.

Chapter 239 Encountering Robbers on the Road

On the official road, Su Ming and Yelu Zhiwu led the Shen Ce Army and marched for hundreds of miles before stopping to set up camp. The army's baggage had already been prepared here.

Once they left Heluo, they could no longer run so fast because the baggage train in the rear could not keep up.

Before, Su Ming had not ridden a horse very often and he had been in Luoyang for more than a year. He was still a little unfamiliar with it when he first got on the horse, but later on, he became more and more familiar with it.

The situation of Yelu Zhiwu was even simpler. She was originally a Khitan, a child of the grassland who grew up on horseback. When it came to her proficiency in archery and horsemanship, many soldiers in the Shence Army could not compare to her.

After walking for a few days, they finally left the Heluo area.

After coming out, everything was different. People's livelihood around Luoyang was recovering rapidly, and populated villages could be seen within a hundred miles.

In other places, the feudal lords were engaged in war and aggression, and all Su Ming saw was desolation. On the contrary, Yelu Zhiwu was in high spirits, riding his horse all over the mountains and fields.

Before, when she came with the wedding procession, she couldn't move around freely. Now that she is following Su Ming, she can go wherever she wants and no one dares to control her.

Sometimes, Su Ming would leave the army with her and run dozens of miles away. Their mounts were the best and finest war horses on the grassland, so running hundreds of miles was no problem.

The Shence Army behind him, led by Li Shaorong, slowly headed towards Hedong.

Suddenly, just as he and Yelu Zhi were letting their horses run freely and moving slowly forward on the mountain path, several figures rushed out from the woods in the distance and surrounded them.

Su Ming reined in his horse and looked down at them.

These men were wearing half-worn armor, holding swords and guns, and had scars on their faces. They should be ordinary bandits.

"Are you guys trying to rob us?" Su Ming asked calmly.

"Hey, you little white face, how dare you talk to us like that, get down now!" A bearded man holding a Tang sword threatened, waving the blade.

A smile flashed in Su Ming's eyes. He glanced at Yelu Zhiwu, and they both dismounted. Although there were only these few people in front of him, he clearly heard that there were many people ambushing in the woods. Their heavy breathing could be heard clearly from a distance.

It seems there are quite a lot of people?

"Hehe, we not only want to rob him of his money, but also his women. You pretty boy, you actually dare to take your own woman out outside. You're really brave." Another short, mean-looking man glanced at Yelu Zhiwu, with a hint of greed in his eyes.

"Brother, kill the men and take the women back to the village. We haven't tasted new stuff for a long time." A little follower shouted.

It is true that the ignorant are fearless.

Su Ming shook his head slightly. In this day and age, is anyone who dares to run around alone a fool?

There were many powerful bandits in the north, so it was not surprising for him to encounter bandits. However, he did not expect these guys to be so tactless.