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

Looking at the two people leaving, Su Ming snorted coldly in his heart, you two old guys, I will deal with you sooner or later!

Then he turned around and glanced at the other people present, "It's getting late, you should leave first."

The palace maids and eunuchs were as if they had been pardoned. They saluted hurriedly and said, "As you command!" Then they jumped out. Soon, he was the only one left in the hall.

"Whoo~"

Su Ming let out a long breath, and the slow airflow formed a sharp sword that shot several meters into the air. He walked out of the hall and looked at the bright moon in the sky with a cold expression, "Li Siyuan, I have received your great gift."

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The day of the coronation ceremony soon arrived. On this day, Su Ming got up early. Just after the hour of Yin, palace maids came to his bedroom to help him wash and dress.

Su Ming did not resist. He let them manipulate him like a puppet. He just wanted to get through today.

It was still the same set of crown and robes. I don’t know what method the palace maid used to clean it, but after Su Ming put it on, he could smell a faint orchid fragrance, without any dust or foreign smell.

Wearing the crown and the Pingtian crown, with the Longquan sword hanging on one side of his waist and a jade pendant on the other, Su Ming's whole temperament changed. A strong imperial majesty emerged from him. The eunuchs and palace maids around him lowered their heads involuntarily, not daring to look him in the face.

After a while, the palace maid brought a plate of exquisite snacks. The coronation ceremony would take a long time, and people usually eat something to fill their stomachs to avoid being starving and looking ugly.

However, one dare not eat too much, in case one's stomach does not cooperate and something unexpected happens, one will be publicly executed and punished. At the very least, one may lose one's official hat, and at worst, one may lose one's life. This is the experience gained by countless ancestors with blood and tears.

After leaving the bedroom, Su Ming boarded the imperial carriage and headed for the Taimiao.

The coronation ceremony officially begins!

Because Li Cunxu had died long ago, many procedures were omitted in the coronation ceremony. Su Ming led the civil and military officials to the Taimiao to offer sacrifices to their ancestors and the heaven and earth.

The black cauldron was burning with raging flames. Su Ming took the edict for offering sacrifices to heaven from the official of the Ministry of Rites and read it aloud. His loud voice echoed in the Taimiao.

After reading the edict, he threw it into the big cauldron, then took three long incense sticks, lit them, bowed three times towards the seven spirit tablets on the altar, and lit the incense.

An hour had passed after a series of procedures were completed.

Afterwards, he led all the officials back to the Taiji Hall.

In the Taiji Hall, court officials had already been waiting again. They stood neatly in the center of the hall, divided into two rows of civil and military officials. Compared with previous court meetings, today's court meeting was more solemn and dignified. The officials changed into brand new official robes one after another, and the ministers with honors changed into ceremonial robes. No one dared to be disrespectful.

Li Siyuan stood in the front row of all officials, looking at the dragon throne on the white jade steps, his eyes slightly narrowed, not knowing what he was thinking.

"Your Majesty is here!"

As the eunuchs sang along, Su Ming walked out from the back hall and slowly sat down on the dragon throne. At this moment, he officially ascended the throne as emperor and announced it to the world.

The city of Luoyang was covered with notices everywhere. The common people also learned the news of the new emperor's ascension to the throne and cheered. They were not happy for the emperor.

It was because the new emperor ascended the throne and needed to grant amnesty and reduce taxes. This was a rare happy event for them, so how could they not be happy?

The news soon spread throughout the world, and envoys from military governors and vassal states had already arrived in Luoyang, waiting for an audience with the emperor.

Chapter 35 Revenge comes so fast

In the Taiji Hall, Su Ming sat on the dragon throne, looking down at the ministers below. Compared to the previous time when he proclaimed himself emperor, when the officials had different expressions, now they all had serious and solemn faces, and no emotion could be seen.

Such a long time was enough for the ministers to adjust their emotions and accept the fact that he ascended the throne. No matter what happened in the future, at least now, Su Ming was the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, the orthodox one in the world, and the continuation of the bloodline of the Tang Dynasty. They had to acknowledge it.

"Long live the emperor!" When he sat on the dragon throne, all the civil and military officials below immediately bowed down and shouted in unison.

Su Ming was silent for a moment, then said indifferently, "My dear ministers, please stand up."

As if following the procedure, all the court officials answered in unison: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Under the crown, Su Ming had a blank expression on his face, not moved at all. "I have just ascended the throne, inherited the great dynasty, and continued the foundation of the Tang Dynasty. I have been working day and night recently, fearing that I will not be able to revive the Tang Dynasty. However, I am relieved to have you, my beloved ministers, assisting me."

"Whatever you want to say today, please feel free to speak."

In the hall, all the ministers remained solemn, but their eyes began to wander. No one dared to speak. After a moment, someone finally stood up.

Among all the officials, Li Siyuan stepped forward without hesitation and said, "Your Majesty has just ascended the throne. You should reduce taxes and grant amnesty to show your grace."

Is this a demonstration to yourself?

Su Ming's eyes turned cold as he met Li Siyuan's playful gaze. He seemed to be saying, even if you become the emperor, so what?

His breathing became heavy and he suppressed the anger in his heart. If Li Siyuan can endure it, so can I. Today is the coronation ceremony, we must consider the overall situation and not make a fool of ourselves!

He looked away and said calmly, "Pass on the decree, follow the same rules."

At this moment, a eunuch came over and whispered something to Su Ming. He nodded. A moment later, a guard came in from outside the palace and said, "Your Majesty, the envoy of King Qi is waiting outside the palace."

Suddenly, he saw Li Siyuan's eyes became sharp and his expression became stiff, but he regained his composure in an instant.

After the destruction of Liang State, King Qi and King Jin turned from former allies into rivals, and the relationship between them was not very good.

When the new emperor ascends the throne, the vassal states all over the world will naturally come to pay homage to him. At the very least, they will send envoys. If they don't come, they will just have to wait to be held accountable by the court later.

This matter concerns the reputation of the imperial court, and those vassal states dare not give others a handle because of these trivial matters.

A smile appeared on Su Ming's lips. As expected, an external force was needed to break the balance. He said calmly, "Let him in."

Inside the hall, the eunuch shouted loudly, so loud that it could be heard from far away, "The envoy of King Xuanqi is here to see you!"

A moment later, four people walked into the hall. As soon as they entered the door, they bowed to the ground, "Long live our emperor!"

"Be flat."

The leader among the four was a middle-aged scholar. He stood up and said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner, "Your Majesty has just ascended the throne. King Qi is overjoyed and has specially ordered us to come to the throne to present gifts and congratulate Your Majesty on his longevity and good health."

Su Ming became interested and leaned forward slightly, "I am very curious, what gift did King Qi send?"

The middle-aged scholar took out a memorial from his sleeve and began to read, "Your Majesty, in order to congratulate Your Majesty on your accession to the throne, my king ordered me to present a pair of jade ruyi, three hundred elite war horses, five thousand pieces of Shu brocade, one hundred pearls, ten thousand taels of gold, and three beauties."

After reading it, he continued, "Your Majesty, the King of Qi's fiefdom is small and the products are not abundant. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

After hearing the gift list, Su Ming knew that the empress had spent a huge amount of money, and this huge gift would probably drain the entire Qi State.

After this period of remedial lessons, he was no longer completely ignorant of the various vassal states in the north, and he also had a general understanding of the situation in Qi State.

A few years ago, Qi was attacked by Liang and then eroded by Jin, losing most of its territory. At its peak, it governed more than 30 states, but now only has six states and counties left, including Fengxiang Prefecture, which has shrunk by nearly four-fifths.

Of course, the reason for all this is that the real Li Maozhen went to Shu to pursue the secret of the Longquan treasure, and the one who stayed in Qi was his sister.

It is not easy for a young woman to maintain such a big situation.

In the hall, Li Siyuan heard the messenger reading out the gifts continuously, his face suddenly turned ugly, and he cursed in his heart. He knew that King Qi would not be content.

Unexpectedly, she was willing to spend so much money to give such a big gift.

Now, he had to follow suit. If a small country like Qi could give such a gift, how could he, as the King of Jin, let others take the credit?

Thinking of this, Li Siyuan's heart was bleeding, and at the same time he was cursing in his heart, "The son doesn't feel sorry for selling his father's land, but the woman always knows how to cheat on him!"

After listening to the contents of the gift list, Su Ming nodded with satisfaction, and suddenly turned to Li Siyuan, "Prince Qi has guarded the north and made great contributions. He also sent such a great gift. I am very pleased. Prince Jin, what do you think I should reward him with?"

The sudden question made Li Siyuan's face stiffen. He forced out an ugly smile and said, "Your Majesty, Prince Qi is loyal to the emperor and patriotic. He is a rare pillar of the court. How to reward him should be decided by Your Majesty."

At this moment, Li Siyuan knew that he was not asking for advice, but was obviously asking him for a gift. The King of Qi, who was thousands of miles away, had sent a gift. Could it be that he, the King of Jin, was not as good as the King of Qi!

Seeing his ugly smile, Su Ming's anger subsided a little, but his face remained calm. "Did you all hear what the King of Jin said? How to reward, officials from the Ministry of Rites, bring a rule, I want to see it at the court tomorrow. Don't let the loyal ministers feel disappointed, otherwise I will not forgive you. Do you understand?"

After saying this, he looked at Kong Xianwen and Yan Suchen among the court officials, and his meaning was self-evident.

Facing Su Ming's gaze, the two men felt a sinking feeling in their hearts. They did not expect that His Majesty's revenge would come so quickly.

Everyone in the court knew that King Qi and King Jin were sworn enemies. If the gift they prepared was too light, His Majesty would be dissatisfied. If the gift they prepared was too heavy, King Jin would be unhappy too.

But things had come to this point, and they were helpless and could only agree to it. This was a matter of etiquette, and since Su Ming was officially ascending the throne today, they had no choice but to agree.

On the other side, Li Siyuan had already prepared a speech and reported again, "Your Majesty, I also have a gift to present!"

Su Ming smiled in surprise and said, "Oh? King Jin also has a gift to offer?"

Li Siyuan lowered his head and gritted his teeth, cursing in his heart, but he could do nothing about it. "To congratulate Your Majesty on ascending the throne, the Jin Palace is willing to present a thousand war horses, thirty thousand taels of gold, ten thousand pieces of Shu brocade, a pair of jade ruyi, three hundred pearls, and one hundred Korean beauties."

Su Ming's heart was not shaken at all. He nodded slightly and praised calmly, "Prince Jin is thoughtful. He is worthy of being a pillar of the court. Come, give His Royal Highness Prince Jin a seat!"

After saying that, there was no more content.

In the main hall, Li Siyuan looked at Su Ming in disbelief. He didn't expect that he would treat him so differently. I gave so many things, and all I got in return was a sentence of "give me a seat".

Although it is an honor, it is not as good as real money. He suffered a great loss!

Chapter 36 Domineering Declaration, Three Saints Enter the Palace

Li Siyuan originally thought that Su Ming would let the Ministry of Rites arrange a reward for him as he had done just now, but he did not expect that he would be so unreasonable and blatantly target him.

The Ministry of Rites was full of his people, so giving more rewards was just a matter of writing a pen.

But he didn't expect that Su Ming was so unethical that he didn't even give him a reward in return!

At this moment, his fists hidden in his wide sleeves were clenched so tightly that his fingers turned white. Even so, he could only suppress the anger in his heart. If the emperor would not give him a reward, he could not ask for it openly.

Li Siyuan was bound to suffer this loss.

At this moment, the ministers in the hall blushed, looking as if they wanted to laugh but didn't dare to. It was a rare opportunity to watch such a show, and the King of Jin suffered a loss in silence.

At this moment, another eunuch came to him to report. Su Ming did not say anything, but just nodded.

A moment later, a group of messengers walked into the hall, "Long live the emperor!"

"Stand up." Su Ming looked at them with surprise in his eyes. He didn't expect that these messengers would bump into each other.

After taking a look, he retracted his gaze and said calmly, "Let me introduce them in order from the front to the back."

"Your Majesty, I am the envoy of the King of Chu. In order to congratulate Your Majesty on ascending the throne, my king sent me to present a night-shining pearl, ten hundred-year-old ginsengs, a five-hundred-year-old Polygonum multiflorum, and fifty thousand taels of gold! May Your Majesty be blessed with good health and prosperity."

"Your Majesty, I come from Shu. On behalf of my master, the King of Shu, I present you with 100,000 pieces of Shu brocade, 500 pearls, 10 precious ancient jades, 3 pairs of jade bi disks, 50,000 taels of gold, and 100 beauties. I wish your Majesty good health, longevity, and a life of longevity!"

"Your Majesty, I send my regards to Your Majesty on behalf of the King of Wu, and I would like to present you with 10,000 catties of fine iron, 30,000 ounces of gold, a pair of jade bi disks, three boxes of antiques, calligraphy and paintings, and 50 beauties."

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Apart from the three princes, the rest were local vassal states. They also sent people to present gifts. They were all rare things. Their value was naturally not as good as those of the princes, but they expressed their thoughts and were considered good.

After listening to their congratulations, Su Ming once again instructed the officials of the Ministry of Rites to take out the regulations and prepare gifts in return.

Every time the envoy finished reading the congratulatory speech, Su Ming would pay attention to Li Siyuan's expression. If it were before, the gifts he sent would be considered precious, but this time, with the gifts sent by princes from all over the country, his gift mixed in was not surprising, and it was not even as good as the gift sent by the King of Shu.

During this process, Li Siyuan's face gradually became gloomy, as if someone owed him money.

Seeing his expression, a faint smile appeared on Su Ming's lips. Li Siyuan, this is just the beginning, your good days are still to come!

In less than an hour, he earned hundreds of thousands of taels of gold, not counting the war horses and various items. It can only be said that no matter what time, the rich are always rich, and the poor are always the lower class people.

However, he was prepared to return gifts to every prince and even vassal king who sent gifts, but he missed the King of Jin. People in the court who were interested were already secretly on guard. This was a subtle signal that the court struggle was about to begin.

At this time, envoys from local vassal states and princes were almost arriving in the hall.