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

After a while, Li Cunli hurried over and saluted hastily, "Brother, what do you want to talk to me about?"

"Sixth brother, what have you been busy with these days?"

Li Cunli wiped the sweat off his head and sighed, "Brother, Li Xingyun's coronation ceremony is coming soon. I am preparing for the ceremony. I didn't expect that after streamlining many procedures, it is still so troublesome. If I had known earlier, I would have thrown this task to someone else."

A trace of embarrassment flashed across Li Siyuan's face. He had forgotten about this matter. Fortunately, he was thick-skinned and recovered as usual in an instant. He smiled and said, "Do you know what Li Xingyun has been doing recently?"

Li Cunli sat on a chair and poured himself a cup of tea. "Brother, I don't know about this. What is he doing? Did he offend you?"

Li Siyuan said with a playful look on his face, "Sixth brother, you will never guess what he is doing?"

Now, Li Cunli became interested. "What did he do?"

"Except for touring the palace on the first day, this kid has been staying in Jixian Hall reading books the rest of the time. He is rarely with Zhang Zifan and the others. Don't you think this is interesting?"

Like Li Siyuan, he was also surprised to hear the news. "Has this guy changed his personality? He wants to learn from books how to govern the country? How to deal with us?"

The smile on Li Siyuan's face disappeared, and he said solemnly, "Sixth brother, we can't let him go on like this. Li Xingyun seems to have done nothing, but in fact he is waiting for a smooth transition of power. Once the coronation ceremony is over, I guess he will take action."

Li Cunli shook his head, not caring at all. "Brother, just do it. Do we really need to be afraid of that blank emperor? What else does he have besides his bloodline?"

Li Siyuan reached out and pointed at him, revealing a look of disappointment. "I think you've been too busy lately. Once the power is smoothly transferred and the emperor is in power, those officials who are loyal to us may not be loyal to us anymore. So, we have to take action and get all the officials to stand in line. Do you understand?"

Li Cunli's eyes flashed with a thoughtful look, and he replied, "Brother, do you mean to create conflicts and divide the court before he gains power?"

Li Siyuan laughed loudly and said arrogantly, "Sixth brother really understands me. He wants a smooth transition, but I won't let him have his way. How can I want to live in peace? Even if he is the emperor, I will fight him!"

Li Cunli nodded and agreed with his opinion. "Then I would like to wish you success in advance."

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The next day, Su Ming came to Jixian Hall to read as usual, but found two young men in scholar's robes standing in front of the hall door.

"Who are you? Why are you here?"

The two young men bowed when they saw Su Ming, and said, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."

Are they court officials? Su Ming's eyes flashed with doubt. He had never seen these two people in court meetings before.

Su Ming nodded slightly, motioning them to stand up, "Stand up, what are your names? What are your positions in the court?"

One of the older young men replied, "Your Majesty, we are the proofreaders of the Jixian Hall. My name is Du Ziming and his name is Li Hanfang. We heard that Your Majesty was reading books here, so we came here to accompany you."

Reading companion?

Why did he come at this time, not earlier or later? A playful smile appeared on Su Ming's lips. "I understand. You can go down. I don't need anyone to study with me."

Hearing this, Du Ziming did not retreat. Instead, he looked at Su Ming with fearlessness in his eyes. "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin knows that Your Majesty is studying here day and night, so he specially arranged for me to come and read with you. I hope Your Majesty will appreciate the loyalty of the Prince of Jin."

Although his words were plain, he was using Li Siyuan to threaten him in both explicit and implicit ways.

Chapter 33: Brutal Tactics

Su Ming's expression immediately turned cold, and he looked at the two of them indifferently, "Prince Jin is loyal to you, what do you have? Are you relying on the support of Prince Jin to bark in front of me?"

Du Ziming had a faint smile on his face and ignored his question. "Your Majesty, a ruler should be open to all opinions and be good at accepting advice. We are just here to read with good intentions. Why are you speaking ill of us?"

Su Ming looked at them with disdain on his face, "Speaking badly to me? Being able to speak in front of me is a blessing to you. You can't even attend the court meeting, so how can you be qualified to be my tutor?"

"You guys just stay outside. No one is allowed to come in without my permission!"

After he finished speaking, the two men's faces turned pale. Su Ming's words really hit a sore spot. Their official positions were too low. Although they were upright people, they could not participate in political affairs and their words carried no weight.

The two were about to speak, but Su Ming did not give them a chance to refute. He stepped directly into the hall, flicked his sleeves, and his powerful internal force turned into energy to close the door heavily.

The two were careless and were turned away.

After entering the hall, the indifference on Su Ming's face disappeared, and the playful look on the corners of his mouth became stronger. He knew that these two people came here to provoke him and test him. If he took action in anger, the matter would soon spread throughout Luoyang.

Beating and insulting his ministers before he even ascended the throne would surely lead to criticism from scholars and writers, and his reputation would be ruined.

"Li Siyuan, Li Siyuan, I didn't expect you to get restless so soon. I haven't officially ascended the throne yet." There was no doubt that these two people were sent by Li Siyuan. Without someone backing them up, they couldn't even enter the palace gate.

Now the Luoyang Imperial Palace is still in a state of alert, with strict entry and exit, and the government is in chaos. The proofreaders cannot enter the Jixian Hall without the emperor's order.

Su Ming shook his head, his smile becoming more wanton. "What a pity, they don't even have the qualifications to be pawns. If they want to play with me, they should find someone with weight to test the waters. Li Siyuan, if you really set your sights on me, it will be interesting."

With the establishment of the Imperial Guard, he had a source of information and had a general understanding of the situation in Luoyang and its surrounding areas. However, the Imperial Guard was established too recently, and it would take a lot of time and money to get more detailed information.

But there is no rush now, it can be improved slowly in the future. The establishment of the Jinyiwei allowed Su Ming to have eyes and ears to understand what happened outside the palace. In addition to the intelligence network left by the Xuanming Sect, the two sides are interconnected, and the information is more complete and accurate.

All these thoughts flashed through his mind and he continued to immerse himself in the sea of ​​books.

Outside the door, Du Ziming and Li Han's faces were livid. It was obvious that the door could be opened with just a slight push, but neither of them had the courage to do so.

"Brother Li, what should we do?" Du Ziming sighed, his face very heavy.

Li Hanfang looked at the closed door in front of him and shook his head, "Let's go back to Prince Jin's Mansion to report."

Indeed, their official positions were too low and their weight was not enough, so even if Su Ming gave them a beating, it would not be a big deal.

The next day, when Su Ming arrived at Jixian Hall, the door had already been opened and faint sounds were coming from inside. What was Li Siyuan up to?

With such curiosity in mind, Su Ming stepped into the hall.

Tall bookshelves stood tall, and several figures were walking back and forth in the hall, flipping through books, and some were pushing ladders to get books from the high-rise shelves.

Seeing Su Ming coming in, the people present were not panicked. They bowed and saluted while holding the books, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."

"Stand up, what are you doing?" Su Ming waved his hand to signal them to stand up, and his eyes swept over them.

One of them, wearing a green official robe, stepped forward and replied, "Your Majesty, the day of the coronation ceremony is approaching. King Jin ordered us to look up the classics and find the records of etiquette from past dynasties. We must make sure that the coronation ceremony is a success."

Would Li Siyuan be so kind?

Su Ming looked at them suspiciously, but couldn't see anything wrong. He walked to the other side with his hands behind his back and continued reading his history book. Throughout the day, people were walking back and forth in the Jixian Hall, but this did not affect him at all.

Among these people, he saw Du Ziming and Li Hanfang, but the two of them avoided his gaze, as if they were afraid that he would look for them. He had no interest in these two little pawns and simply ignored them.

For three consecutive days, Su Ming met these people in Jixian Hall. They were flipping through books in the hall without avoiding him at all, and had no respect at all. It was obvious that they did not take him seriously.

Obviously, they have such confidence because of Prince of Jin Li Siyuan behind them.

On the fourth day, Su Ming stepped into Jixian Hall, but did not see them. This surprised him. Are these guys done?

However, not long after, two old men in scarlet official robes came to the door.

"Your Majesty, I am an old minister. I am here to pay my respects to you." As soon as they saw Su Ming, the two men started to put on airs. They just bent their bodies slightly and did not even bow. They regarded themselves as old ministers, which made it clear that they were trying to take advantage of their seniority.

Although he was unhappy, Su Ming still looked calm and said, "Please stand up." He looked at them and waited for them to explain their purpose.

The two of them were straightforward and said, "Your Majesty, I am the Minister of Rites Kong Xianwen, and the one next to me is the Vice Minister of Personnel Yan Suchen. We are here to prepare for the coronation ceremony. I hope Your Majesty will allow us."

Let’s get started!

Hearing this, Su Ming immediately perked up and watched their performance quietly, "I agree, you continue."

Kong Xianwen stroked his beard, looking calm and composed. "Your Highness Prince Jin has already ordered people to prepare for the coronation ceremony. In order to show your Majesty's destiny and the majesty of the emperor, we have found the collection of the ceremonial notes of the coronation ceremonies of Emperor Taizong and Emperor Gaozong. Everything is ready, and we are just waiting for your Majesty to go and practice, so as to avoid any mistakes at that time."

So you were waiting for me here?

Su Ming understood what they wanted to do as soon as he heard it. The coronation ceremony was such a solemn and dignified event that it was very necessary to rehearse the process in advance. At that time, the local military governors and military governors would send envoys to participate, so they could not be careless.

If he, the emperor, made a mistake at that time, he would lose his dignity as an emperor and be ridiculed by the people of the world.

Li Siyuan dug these things out of the pile of old papers just for now. As for what he wants to do, you will know later.

Faced with the request of the two old ministers, Su Ming readily agreed, put down the books, and followed them to the palace to practice etiquette.

Soon, they arrived at a palace named Qianqiu Palace, which was one of the side halls of Taiji Palace. Su Ming was helped by the palace maids to change into the crown and put on the Pingtian crown. A sword hung from his waist. The long sleeves and thick crown made him feel very uncomfortable.

Even though Su Ming had worn the imperial robe for nearly half a month, he still felt uncomfortable with it.

Then, under the guidance of the two veteran ministers, Su Ming practiced the process of the coronation ceremony over and over again, from the walking posture to the tone and voice of reading the edict of offering sacrifices to heaven, over and over again. If there was any mistake, the whole process would have to be started over again.

At this moment, Su Ming realized that this was Li Siyuan's real trump card.

This move is really cruel!

Chapter 34 The coronation ceremony is announced to the world!

If Su Ming was really Li Xingyun, he might have been tricked, but unfortunately, he was not.

Practicing over and over again was boring and tedious. The loose crown and robes made it difficult to breathe. Fortunately, Su Ming was a great warrior with profound skills. He was immune to cold and heat, so this heat had no effect on him.

If the real Li Xingyun was here, he would have exploded with anger. With his relaxed personality, how could he possibly endure such torture?

For a whole day, Su Ming practiced the etiquette process in the Qianqiu Palace. From the initial novelty to boredom, and then to numbness, he remained extremely calm, suppressing the anger in his heart and keeping his rationality.

There is no point in venting anger at these people, because everything Li Siyuan did was within the rules. Rehearsing the process of the coronation ceremony is necessary. Any emperor has had similar experience before ascending the throne, unless he is a makeshift team with nothing.

However, the training he went through took a little longer.

If he was really angry, it would mean he had fallen into Li Siyuan's trap and was doing what he wanted.

What kind of impact would it have if word got out that an emperor with no foundation did not follow etiquette before his enthronement ceremony and did not take court officials seriously?

If some "accidents" happened during the coronation ceremony, there would be no doubt that all the problems would be directed at the emperor, causing him to lose his prestige and ruin his reputation among the officials.

This is a world where rites and music have collapsed, but it is precisely because of this that the value of order is highlighted. No one would like an emperor who acts arbitrarily, so Su Ming must abide by the rules of rites and laws.

At this moment, he could only endure it.

Under the flat crown, twelve tassels hung down. Each of them was made of crystal clear pearls and strung together with colorful threads, covering his face so that people could not see his true expression.

After a day of training, Su Ming had completely adapted to the crown and robes. He walked with the gait of a dragon and a tiger, calm and dignified, with the majesty of an emperor. He was much stronger than before.

The drill was not completed until late at night.

The lights in Qianqiu Palace were bright and the air was filled with a tense atmosphere. The palace maids and eunuchs accompanying on one side were trembling with fear, as if they were walking on thin ice. They didn't dare to breathe for fear of being affected.

Throughout the day, Su Ming didn't complain at all and just kept practicing.

But everyone present knew that he was holding back his anger. Even Kong Xianwen and Yan Suchen, who had been demanding of him seriously, relaxed their attitude unconsciously and no longer dared to stroke his beard easily.

Unable to force Su Ming to break his defense, Kong Xianwen had no choice but to give up. If he continued, it would be too much. He exchanged glances with Yan Suchen and said slowly, "Your Majesty, the effect of today's drill was very good. The coronation ceremony will begin the day after tomorrow. Your Majesty, please bathe and burn incense tomorrow and make preparations in advance."

Su Ming nodded slightly, without the tassel in front of him shaking at all. "I understand. Thank you for your teachings, my dear minister. I will keep them in mind." His voice was flat, without a trace of emotion.

The two men looked at each other with bitterness on their faces. This time, they had completely offended the emperor. However, with Prince Jin around, they had nothing to regret.

Yan Suchen stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, it is getting late, and I am exhausted. Please allow me to leave first."

Kong Xianwen also bowed and saluted, "Your Majesty, these are the procedures. I have taught you everything. Please rest early and take care of yourself."

At this time, Su Ming would not argue with them, "My dear ministers, you have worked hard today. You can go back first."

As soon as the words fell, the two old ministers saluted quickly and left impatiently, which was completely different from their slow pace during the day.