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

To be an emperor, one must act like an emperor. Food, clothing, housing and transportation must all be up to the highest standards. The ruler of a country represents not only himself, but also the face of the court, so naturally he must be treated accordingly.

The clothes prepared for him by the palace were red robes embroidered with five-clawed dragon patterns, which looked majestic and domineering. Su Ming touched the dragon pattern and nodded with satisfaction. The clothes he had worn for three seasons could finally be changed.

From today on, he must adjust his clothes and hair accessories, and keep his hair long. It cannot be trimmed casually. The dignity of the emperor is inestimable, so how can it be touched lightly?

However, this dress is very complicated to put on and has many accessories. Su Ming tried for a long time but failed to put it on properly, so he could only ask the palace maid to help him change clothes.

After putting it on, he tried to walk a few steps. It was steady, but not light enough. He couldn't wear it when practicing martial arts, and the crown on his head was even heavier.

Su Ming sighed lightly. There is gain and loss. This is what it means to wear the crown and bear its weight.

He waved his hand and ordered, "Okay, you guys go down first, I'll go out for a walk."

The four palace maids looked at each other, not daring to say anything, and could only retreat.

After passing through the palace corridor, he came to the harem. At this time, Lu Linxuan and the others had already started eating. Some palaces had independent small kitchens and were not dependent on the imperial kitchen, so they could cook here.

Seeing the table full of dishes, Su Ming's eyes lit up, "It seems that I came at the right time."

However, when everyone saw his appearance, their eyes widened, "Brother, what are you doing?"

Seeing their eyes on his clothes, Su Ming smiled awkwardly, "It was sent by the palace maid, so I tried it, but it turned out to be very troublesome. This dress is too difficult to wear."

Su Ming, wearing the imperial robes, looked more majestic than before. The nobility in his blood gradually emerged, and he looked a bit like an emperor.

However, seeing his playful smile, everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He was still the same person, still the same.

Sitting at the dining table, Lu Linxuan served him food. Just as Su Ming was about to eat, he found that his sleeves were too big and very inconvenient, so he simply rolled up his sleeves. After taking a few bites, he felt that the food did not taste right, so he pulled off his hat, which made him look out of place.

At this moment, everyone was stunned, and the filter of the emperor in their hearts was shattered. This was different from the emperor they had imagined.

Zhang Zifan forced a smile and reminded, "Brother Li, it's not appropriate for you to eat in this outfit."

Su Ming said nonchalantly, "What's inappropriate about this? Do I have to stop eating if I wear this?"

In fact, he deliberately behaved like this in front of everyone to prevent them from being distant. Now there was no one around him available, so he needed to win them over.

Lu Linxuan wrinkled his nose, "Brother, you are the emperor now, how can you be so sloppy?"

After finishing three bowls of rice in a row, Su Ming put down his bowl and chopsticks with a satisfied look on his face, "Junior sister, isn't the emperor a human being? Doesn't he eat? If I am not as comfortable as before after becoming the emperor, then what is the point of being the emperor?"

Everyone couldn't help but roll their eyes. Sure enough, this was Li Xingyun. He was probably the only one in the world who could make such bold statements.

Lu Linxuan became even angrier, "Brother, you don't have the bearing of an emperor at all."

Perhaps, Su Ming was too different from the emperor she had imagined, which made her feel that her three views were shattered. In fact, she was not the only one who felt this way, others also had the same feeling.

Su Ming chuckled, put down his sleeves, and put his hat back on. "Brother Zhang, nothing happened last night, right?"

Zhang Zifan put down his bowl and chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and said, "I inspected the twelve palace gates last night, but nothing happened. However, these city gates cannot stop martial arts masters. Generally, those above the Great Star rank can cross the several-meter-high city walls. It is unrealistic to rely on those soldiers."

The Imperial City of Luoyang, also known as Ziwei City, covers a vast area, far exceeding the Forbidden City of later generations. Zhang Zifan's 500 Khitan soldiers alone cannot defend such a large city. Being able to guard the city gates is already their limit.

Su Ming was not surprised at all. After all, he didn't have many people at the moment, so it was enough for him to do this. "It's okay. If we can't defend it, then we can't defend it. As long as we can guard the city gate, we don't need to worry about the other things."

"I just proclaimed myself emperor in front of all the officials. Li Siyuan is not that stupid. Don't worry, we are still safe for now. By the way, if you see Big Brother and Meng Po, tell them to come find me. I have something to tell them."

Zhang Zifan patted his chest and said confidently, "Leave the city gate to me, don't worry."

Chapter 31: Formation of the Royal Guard

After finishing his meal, Zhang Zifan continued to patrol the city gates. Su Ming strolled around the imperial city in his imperial robes. On the imperial road, he met the palace maids who had delivered clothes to him in the morning. The four of them followed closely behind him.

It took him a whole day to walk around the imperial city and enter many palaces, including the more famous Zhenguan Hall, Lingyan Pavilion, Changsheng Hall, Jixian Hall, etc.

The palaces of the Sui and Tang dynasties were solemn and majestic, far taller and more luxurious than later palaces such as the Forbidden City. Some details were certainly not as good, but the grandeur seen from afar was even greater.

In the evening, they ate together as usual and did not touch the food in the palace.

It was late at night, and Su Ming was reading in the Jixian Hall. This was where the imperial court collected ancient books, and it also served as a place for editing and reading. However, there were only palace maids and no eunuchs in the palace, so this was unnecessary.

The classics here are so vast that even if a person spends his entire life reading them all, he cannot finish reading them. What Su Ming read were basically historical records of the Tang Dynasty and the changes in major officials in various places in recent years.

After he officially ascended the throne, he had to get involved in political affairs and could not do without preparation. Although the historical materials were boring, he still read them with gusto, especially the changes in power of various vassal states, which amazed him.

Suddenly, a breeze blew, and Meng Po walked in from outside the hall with a cane. When she saw Su Ming wearing a red robe in front of the imperial desk, she was very surprised.

This fake Li Xingyun put on the dragon robe and actually had some of the air of an emperor. She knew that she had to be more careful in front of Su Ming in the future, because an emperor should not be easily neglected.

There is a world of difference between a prince and an emperor. No matter whether his identity is real or fake, I cannot take it lightly.

Meng Po stepped forward and bowed respectfully, "Meng Po pays respect to Your Majesty."

Su Ming raised his head and smiled slightly, "Get up, no need to be polite."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Meng Po stood up and reported slowly, "Your Majesty, I and Li Cun Yi have selected two thousand elite members of the Xuanming Sect. They are all strong and powerful men. Once equipped with weapons and armor and trained a little, they will become a strong army after seeing blood."

Hearing this, Su Ming knew that Meng Po had misunderstood. She thought he wanted to form his own army. In fact, he did not have this idea at the moment. It was too early now and the time was not right.

Su Ming did not blame her, but asked, "Meng Po, is there any news from Yuan Tiangang?"

"Your Majesty, the Marshal's whereabouts are elusive. I don't know where he is, and I have no news about the Bad Man either."

Su Ming put down the book in his hand, sat upright, coughed lightly, and said in a deep voice, "Meng Po, I order you to use these two thousand people to reorganize a secret guard to spy on intelligence and monitor officials. They have to do more than Tongwenguan and Xuanming Sect. Not only for external, but also for internal."

"Let's call this team Jinyiwei."

Meng Po was puzzled and asked doubtfully, "Your Majesty, there are bad people in the court, why do you need to do this?"

Su Ming shook his head and looked into her eyes with a half-smile. "The Bad People are Yuan Tiangang's Bad People. What does it have to do with me? Li Siyuan has the Tongwen Academy, and King Qi has the Huanyin Pavilion. I must build my own power. Otherwise, I will be in the dark in this palace city and have no idea what is going on in the world."

An emperor can be ignorant of state affairs and can be incompetent, but he cannot be ignorant of what is happening outside the imperial city, because this is fatal.

Just like the Jiajing and Wanli emperors of the Ming Dynasty, they did not attend court for decades, but they still held the power in their hands. A big part of the reason was that they had spies like the Jinyiwei and the Dongchang in their hands.

You don't have to use a knife, but you can't live without it.

These few words were heart-piercing and touched upon the conflict between him and the Bad Commander. Meng Po's face suddenly froze and she didn't dare to say anything more.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the hall also became stagnant.

Knowing her doubts, Su Ming laughed loudly and explained, "Don't worry, I don't have any problem with Yuan Tiangang. You can talk to the bad commander about the Jinyiwei. I believe he will agree."

At the same time, he also felt a sense of regret that things had changed and people had changed. He was an unknown pawn among the Bad People and was very respectful in front of Meng Po.

Only a few months later, he became the emperor, and the relationship between the two was reversed. Regardless of whether Meng Po obeyed the bad commander or not, she had to respect the identity she represented.

After this explanation, Meng Po realized that he was not targeting Yuan Tiangang, and her expression softened, "Your Majesty, I understand."

If he had a conflict with Yuan Tiangang now, the Bad People would be in a very awkward position being caught in the middle, and there was even a possibility of a split. Among the Bad People, Yuan Tiangang was not the only one who was loyal to the Tang Dynasty.

In the past, when the Tang Dynasty fell, Yuan Tiangang represented the Tang Dynasty. Now, Su Ming has ascended the throne and the Tang Dynasty has an emperor again. When they have conflicts, some will choose to be loyal to the emperor, while others will choose to be loyal to Yuan Tiangang.

However, Su Ming is not so stupid as to demolish the bridge before crossing the river. If he wants to demolish it, he will have to wait until he has dealt with Li Siyuan and unified the world.

In an instant, Su Ming's mind turned, and he continued, "There is no need to rush to form the Jinyiwei, you can take your time. I allow you to borrow the power of the Bad People, but the Jinyiwei must be a self-contained system, independent of the Bad People. But except for you Bad People, Li Siyuan and others are not allowed to know about this." His tone was light and overbearing, and he did not allow anyone to argue.

Meng Po's heart trembled, and she quickly replied, "I understand."

There was no one around him who could be used, so this matter could only be handed over to Meng Po. After all, they had some friendship before, so Su Ming could trust him.

As for Li Cunyi and Zhang Zifan, they should be assigned to other positions. Using them now is just a stopgap measure. He doesn't trust anyone to take care of the safety of the imperial city except his own confidants.

Zhang Zifan and the others are naturally not his confidants. He is just using them now. Once Li Xingyun is really released by Yuan Tiangang, Su Ming is sure that they will turn against him without hesitation.

He never doubted this.

Su Ming will hand over the remaining people of Xuanming Sect to Li Cunyi, who will lead them. These people will be his shields to attract Li Siyuan. With them blocking the way, the Jinyiwei can slowly develop and build up its power.

Moreover, the scenes of brothers fighting each other are also very interesting.

Thinking of this, Su Ming couldn't help but smile, "Meng Po. If there is nothing else, you can go down first."

Meng Po, who was not far away, saw his smile and knew what he was planning. Ever since Su Ming asked her for advice on disguise, she knew that this man was very scheming.

But she didn't expect that Su Ming would reach this point.

Chapter 32 Li Siyuan's Plan

Meng Po bowed and turned to leave, "I'll take my leave now."

Under the cover of night, the dim light and darkness intertwined to create a shadow. Su Ming stood in the middle of it, and it was hard to see what his expression was, making it hard to understand.

······

Jin Palace.

"Your Majesty, Li Xingyun has been studying in the Jixian Hall and has not been out."

When Li Siyuan heard the report from his subordinates, he was very surprised. This kid became the emperor, but he was still hiding in books reading. What conspiracy did he have?

His eyes narrowed, and he asked uncertainly, "Has he really been studying in the Jixian Hall the whole time and not going out? And he didn't summon the ministers to read the memorials?"

The subordinate in white lowered his head even more tightly, "Your Majesty, our people have been secretly monitoring him. He is indeed in the Jixian Hall the whole time, but we dare not enter the hall, so we can only monitor him from outside."

"I understand. Go down and claim your reward."

The man in white was overjoyed and kowtowed repeatedly, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Li Siyuan gently shook his folding fan, very confused. He couldn't understand Li Xingyun's actions. When he was in court in Taiji Hall before, this guy behaved very well, but this was just an appearance.

An emperor would never allow such a powerful minister as himself to exist. This has been the case since ancient times.

Moreover, after Li Xingyun became emperor, he was no longer afraid of Yuan Tiangang.

In the past, when Emperor Zhaozong and other emperors were alive, Yuan Tiangang did not take action against the local vassal states and directly eliminate the troubles, because he knew that doing so would only be a temporary solution and not a fundamental solution.

The Tang Dynasty has been restored. Except for a small part of Qi State, it officially occupies the entire northern land. It can be said that it has strong military and military power, much stronger than the court during the reigns of Zhaozong and Xizong.

After Li Xingyun became emperor, Li Siyuan finally realized that Yuan Tiangang did not move him because he wanted to leave him to Li Xingyun as a whetstone so that he could grow into a real emperor.

But how could Li Siyuan know that there was no need for Yuan Tiangang, as Su Ming had already arranged his path clearly.

In his opinion, the reason why Li Xingyun spent all day reading in Jixian Hall and not getting involved in state affairs was because she was powerless and had no one under her. In addition, he had not yet ascended the throne, so the most important thing at the moment was not to handle state affairs or deal with him, but to wait for the smooth transfer of imperial power to him.

At this time, it is better to be still than to move. He will have the opportunity to take action only after he officially ascends the throne and announces it to the world, and after the aristocratic families and the local vassal states have recognized him.

After figuring out the key, Li Siyuan put away the folding fan in his hand and made a decision in his heart, "No, we must act as soon as possible and not let him have a chance to make a smooth transition."

He has always been decisive and would not hesitate at this moment.

Although Li Xingyun was established by Fu Longting, the sudden appearance of an emperor made all officials panic and at a loss. His confidants were safe, but the same could not be said for others.

No one knows how much weight the banner of the Tang Dynasty still holds in the hearts of officials.

If at this time news spread in the palace that he was at odds with the emperor and had a conflict with him, and used this to force all officials to take sides, then he would have no chance to win the hearts of the people.

Li Siyuan did what he said. He shouted to the waiter outside the door, "Come here, go and invite the leader of the Lizi Sect."