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

Suddenly, a figure appeared outside the screen and reported: "Your Majesty, news has come from Luoyang that Li Xingyun has proclaimed himself emperor."

The empress stopped stroking the cat, her eyebrows slightly raised, her bright eyes shone like stars, and there was a strong sense of dignity and majesty between her brows.

"What did you say? Li Xingyun proclaimed himself emperor?" The clear and cold voice was steady and cold, as if it contained a heavy power.

Outside the screen, Miao Chengtian answered quickly, "Well, yesterday, Li Siyuan led the civil and military officials to the posthouse to welcome Li Xingyun into the palace, and then he proclaimed himself emperor in the Taiji Hall."

Suddenly, a strong wind blew, and Miao Chengtian and his group flew up and down. The empress came to her holding Mei Guo and asked in a deep voice: "How is it possible? How did he get mixed up with Li Siyuan?"

Miao Chengtian's fair face was full of confusion, and he continued, "Empress, there is another thing. Meng Po led the Xuanming Sect to join Li Xingyun."

The successive pieces of news almost made the empress lose her composure. She unconsciously exerted force on the hands holding Meiguo, and it screamed in pain and escaped from the empress's arms.

How could the situation develop to this point in just half a month?

The empress frowned, feeling a little at a loss. She had known about Li Xingyun's presence in Luoyang for a long time. Although she wanted to go and see Li Xingyun, as the King of Qi, she was responsible for the people and could not put herself in danger by rashly stepping into Luoyang, which was Li Siyuan's territory.

All along, she had ordered the spies of Huanyinfang to closely monitor Luoyang City and report immediately if anything happened.

Half a month passed, and Li Xingyun stayed in the inn without going out. She thought that Li Xingyun was in Luoyang just for something to do and would not stay there for long, and might even have something to ask of Li Siyuan.

But she didn't expect that Li Xingyun would become emperor!

This news was like a huge bomb, which left her at a loss. Based on her understanding of Li Xingyun, that guy had always longed to live a carefree life, so how could he possibly become an emperor?

But Miao Chengtian's news had been confirmed again and again, forcing her to accept this unbelievable fact. She thought calmly for a moment and gave an order, "Miao Chengtian, continue to send people to investigate. Make sure to find out what happened in the past few days."

"By the way, try to let our people get in touch with Li Xingyun and the people around him, and get in touch with him at all costs!" The cold voice was so firm that no one dared to refuse.

"I understand." Miao Chengtian also knew how important this matter was. He nodded solemnly and left quickly.

After she left, the empress took off her disguise of calmness and kept walking back and forth in the hall, looking very annoyed. If she had cared about Li Xingyun before, it was because of the little bit of love between men and women in her heart.

The reason why she ordered people to investigate at all costs was because of Qi State. The shock brought to the world by the direct descendant of the Tang Dynasty becoming emperor would be no less than a magnitude 9 earthquake, comparable to when Li Cunxu destroyed the Liang State and openly proclaimed himself emperor.

She walked to the front of the hall, looked up at the sky, and murmured to herself, "Li Xingyun, what on earth happened to you?"

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Luoyang Imperial City, Taiji Hall.

The court meeting ended quickly. With Su Ming being enthroned as emperor in the hall, all other matters were just details. The ministers had no intention of handling state affairs and ended the morning court meeting hastily.

After the court session, Su Ming was led to the harem by the eunuchs in the palace.

Compared with the majestic palace in front, the harem seemed much colder and more dilapidated, with traces of renovation and trimmed grass and trees everywhere. Seeing this scene, Su Ming understood: Although Li Siyuan controlled the court, he did not dare to move into the harem. Since the death of Li Cunxu, the harem has been empty, so there are signs of decline.

In the Imperial Garden, Zhang Zifan, Lu Linxuan and their group were drinking tea and chatting.

Qingcheng put her hands on her waist, with a beautiful flower on her forehead, and exclaimed, "Now that I'm here, I finally know what a real palace is, don't you think so, sister?"

Qingguo agreed, "That's right. Compared to this place, our Khitan palace is just like a doghouse. No, it's even worse than a doghouse. One day, I must let my brother come and see what a real palace is."

Zhang Zifan waved his folding fan and chuckled, "How long has your Khitan nation been established? This palace has a history of several hundred years. How can your Khitan nation compare to this?"

When talking about Luoyang, we have to mention an emperor, Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Tuoba Hong.

It was because he reformed the system of the Northern Wei Dynasty and actively integrated into the Han culture that he built the city of Luoyang and moved the capital. Even after experiencing the wars of the Southern and Northern Dynasties and the wars of the Tang Dynasty, the city of Luoyang not only did not decline, but instead became more prosperous due to its geographical location and became one of the largest cities in the north.

Luoyang is known as a place surrounded by mountains on all sides, with six rivers flowing through it, a capital city with eight passes, and a thoroughfare for ten provinces.

Since Luoyang is located in the Central Plains, with mountains and rivers crisscrossing, it is backed by the Qinling Mountains in the west, and outside the Hangu Pass is Guanzhong Qinchuan; it is adjacent to Songyue Mountain in the east, and is backed by Taihang Mountain and the dangerous Yellow River in the north; it overlooks Funiu Mountain and the rich Wanye in the south. It can be said that "it is surrounded by rivers and mountains, and its geographical location is the best in the world."

Just as they were talking excitedly, Su Ming also arrived. "Brother Zhang, what you said is right. I will host a party one day and invite your brother Yelu Abaoji to come and experience the charm of our Central Plains."

Seeing that he returned intact, everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Lu Linxuan complained, "Brother, why did you come just now?"

Although there wasn't much going on at the court meeting, it took them nearly an hour to adjourn.

Su Ming did not answer him, but glanced at everyone and said ostentatiously, "Just now at the court meeting, I have proclaimed myself emperor. Now, you can call me Your Majesty the Emperor. Come on, call me that first so I can hear it."

Hearing this, everyone looked at each other with endless joy on their faces. They didn't expect that this moment would come so quickly and caught them off guard.

Chapter 29: Gentlemen, the Tang Dynasty has been restored

The others didn't take his joke seriously. Zhang Zifan hit his shoulder and asked in confusion, "Brother Li, why did you declare yourself emperor so soon? Didn't you hold the coronation ceremony yet?"

Everyone was also confused because this was not what they thought.

Su Ming explained, "Being an emperor is a very complicated matter. The most important thing is to be legitimate. To enter the imperial city, I first need an identity, and this identity must be recognized by all officials. Otherwise, even if I enter the imperial city, I can't do anything."

"In the Taiji Palace, I acknowledged my identity as the direct descendant of the Tang Dynasty, and Li Siyuan went with the flow and persuaded me to ascend the throne, because it was a matter of time and he couldn't stop it at all, so it was better to get the credit of being a follower of the dragon as soon as possible, do you understand?"

After this explanation, everyone understood why he proclaimed himself emperor so quickly.

Zhang Zifan frowned, his eyes cold, "Li Siyuan is such a cunning guy."

After Li Siyuan did this, it was difficult for Su Ming to kill him openly. He was the emperor now. If he killed even the ministers who followed him, all the officials would be chilled and uneasy, and the people's hearts would be dispersed.

Lu Linxuan asked, "Brother, how should we deal with Li Siyuan? This guy has evil intentions and is so patient. He must be hiding something."

Su Ming comforted him, "Don't worry. I am now the emperor, not alone. To kill Li Siyuan, we must make a careful plan. Only by clipping his wings can we minimize the damage. You should understand the principle of a trapped beast fighting hard."

"The most urgent task now is to stabilize the situation in the court, wait for the coronation ceremony to be announced to the world, and then consolidate the power of the local vassal states. I can't let Li Siyuan sideline me."

Li Cunyi looked at Zhang Zifan and said, "Zifan, Xingyun is right. If you want to deal with Li Siyuan, you must plan carefully and kill him with one strike. You can't give him a second chance. He has been in Jin for many years and has been in charge of the court. He has the Tongwenguan working for him. How can such a person be so easy to kill?"

"If something unexpected happens, the Three Jins and even the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun will fall into war again, and the people will be plunged into dire straits. I have seen too many wars and disasters over the years, and it is really not easy for the people to settle down after so much effort."

Among all the people present, no one understood Li Siyuan better than Li Cun Yi, so his words convinced everyone.

Su Ming nodded secretly. Maintaining the identity of Li Xingyun brought him so much help. This feeling was really wonderful.

"Brother Zhang, please take charge of the imperial guards and guard the palace. Don't let Li Siyuan take advantage of any opportunity to threaten you, especially the gate of the palace, which is of utmost importance."

Zhang Zifan also knew the seriousness of the matter, and agreed without further ado, "Okay, leave it to me and rest assured."

Then, he looked at Lu Linxuan and instructed, "Junior sister, try to stay with Qingguo Qingcheng. If you encounter danger, you can still take care of her. We have just moved into the palace, so we must be careful."

Then, he looked at Li Cunyi and said, "Brother, please work with Meng Po to reorganize the Xuanming Sect and pick out some useful elites to serve as spies and eyes to collect intelligence from all over the place."

Li Cun Yi was once the leader of the Yi Sect of Tong Wen Guan. He is no stranger to spying on intelligence. It is best to leave these matters to him and Meng Po.

The power of Xuanming Sect is controlled by two people, and they supervise each other together so as not to deceive him. This is also to show them that they do not trust Meng Po and are on guard against the bad people.

Although they were originally his own people, he had to act well at this time and not reveal any flaws.

Li Cunyi also knew his intention and agreed immediately.

Everything was ready and everyone took action immediately. Although the 500 Khitan soldiers sent by Qingguo Qingcheng were not many, they were more than enough to guard the gate of the imperial city.

After half a month of traveling and half a month of training in the military camp, many of them have been able to use the Central Plains dialect fluently, and they are very convinced of Zhang Zifan. After all, back in the military camp, Zhang Zifan defeated them one by one.

The Khitans, like their grassland ancestors, admire the strong. They will bar their fangs to the weak and bow their heads to the strong, so Zhang Zifan can easily control them.

Su Ming would not feel at ease to entrust such a critical task as guarding the palace and isolating the inside and outside from communication, but now there was no one available, so he could only give it to Zhang Zifan.

Sending everyone around him away can also reduce the risk of him being exposed. Once he ascends the throne, the risk will be greatly reduced.

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Under the city of Chang'an.

The gloomy underground palace welcomed uninvited guests. The lights gradually lit up, illuminating the underground palace. The damp air was mixed with the smell of decay.

Yuan Tiangang walked slowly in the passage and came to a temple.

This temple is magnificent, with carved beams and painted buildings, and flying dragons and phoenixes. It is more splendid and dazzling than the imperial palace and ancestral temples in Luoyang City. White candles as thick as babies' arms are lit, and red curtains are fluttering slowly.

On the altar, there are many spirit tablets, including the Great Saint Emperor Shen Yao, the Great Guang Xiao Emperor Wen Wu, the Great Saint Emperor Guang Xiao, the Great Saint Emperor Tian Huang, the Great Saint Emperor Hong Xiao...

Each name is well-known, and the tablets of all the Tang Dynasty emperors are placed here.

Yuan Tiangang walked to the spirit tablet, took out three incense sticks from the altar, lit them, and inserted them into the copper furnace.

A wisp of green smoke rose up and filled the hall, blurring his eyes. "Taizong, Gaozong, Xuanzong... Gentlemen, the Tang Dynasty has been restored, Li Xingyun has been crowned emperor. After three hundred years, the opportunity to revive the Tang Dynasty has finally appeared, haha..."

The hoarse voice echoed in the hall, but no one answered, leaving only a faint echo.

Yuan Tiangang's dark eyes were filled with tears, and his deep voice was full of excitement, "Your Majesty, Li Xingyun's enthronement is only the first step. Next, we must gather military power, eliminate dissidents, recover local military governorates, and march south. The Tang Dynasty will revive again."

"Although that kid is not a direct descendant of the Tang Dynasty, as long as Li Xingyun can continue to be the emperor, I will give him this opportunity. As for Li Xingyun, if he can wake up, change his mind, and take on his responsibilities again, I don't mind letting him be the emperor."

At this moment, Yuan Tiangang was still obsessed with the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, and still had hopes for Li Xingyun. After all, this was the "son of destiny" chosen by him and Emperor Zhaozong.

At this point, he still had to give Li Xingyun the chance to choose, even though he had missed many opportunities and disappointed himself many times.

But a legitimate son is a legitimate son, and the rules of etiquette and clan cannot be easily abolished.

On the altar, wisps of green smoke lingered above the spirit tablet. In a trance, Yuan Tiangang seemed to see the emperors of the Tang Dynasty looking at him, "Gentlemen, I am leaving now. When I come back next time, the world will be unified and the Tang Dynasty will be revived!"

He knelt on the ground, kowtowed repeatedly, then stood up and left.

Chapter 30: Incomprehensible, shattered worldview

Luoyang.

After Zhang Zifan and his companions divided the work and cooperated, the core area of ​​the imperial city was controlled. They now had few soldiers and could only control the last of the five levels of the palace.

After nightfall, everyone was so excited that they could not fall asleep.

Su Ming found a palace to meditate and practice instead of sleeping. He had just entered the palace, and if he could really sleep, it would be a great experience.

Day soon dawned, the palace gates opened, and the long-silent imperial city finally revived.

Outside the door, the maid's voice came, "Your Majesty, it's time to wash and change clothes."

Su Ming opened his eyes, a gleam of light flashed in them, and he looked refreshed. His entire temperament had changed. He stood up from the couch, stretched his body, and then said, "Come in."

The palace gate opened, and four palace maids walked into the hall, their steps were so soft that they were almost inaudible. He turned his head in surprise, only to find that these four palace maids were weak and slender, and looked to be in their teens, probably in their prime.

The two men walked up to him with trays and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, please let this servant wash you."

Looking at their pale and weak faces, Su Ming shook his head gently, "No need, I'll do it myself." After saying that, he took the tender willow branches on the tray, dipped them in green salt, and stirred them back and forth in his mouth.

Although he was not as skilled in medicine as Li Xingyun, he had learned a lot from imitating him in Jianlu for many years. He had investigated when he came into contact with these things and found that they were normal and non-toxic, so he used them with confidence.

Su Ming's casual attitude did not relax the young palace maids. Instead, it made them want to cry but could not. One of them said softly, "Your Majesty, let this servant do it..."

After brushing his teeth, he took the teacup and rinsed his mouth. "What did you say?"

The poor little palace maid's face turned red and she almost cried. Her lips moved, but in the end she dared not say anything.

When Su Ming was washing his face, he was stunned. He looked at the golden basin in front of him and exclaimed, "Wow, it's a real golden basin. This is the first time I've seen it."

This is really washing your hands with a golden basin, washing your face with a golden basin.

The cloth used for washing his face was not ordinary cloth, but Shu brocade. It was extremely silky when used for washing his face, and it looked the same as if he had not washed his face. After washing his face and brushing his teeth, it was time for him to change his clothes.