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

Li Siyuan sighed and had to admit his mistake.

Then a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth again. The disputes in the court were just minor matters. In this world, he only believed in his martial arts and the military power in his hands.

In today's world, warriors are tyrannical. Only those who are strong in martial arts can survive for a long time and are not afraid of attacks and killings. Only then can they have the opportunity to achieve great achievements, usurp power, and unify the north and the south.

If Li Cunxu understood this, he would not be killed so easily by the bad guys. With his example, how could Li Siyuan not be cautious? Of course, no matter how strong he was, he could not withstand Yuan Tiangang's three hundred years of skills.

However, apart from that night in Bianliang when Yuan Tiangang personally took action to deal with Zhu Yougui, he has not had many opportunities to take action in the past hundred years. Many times he even disdained to take action himself and break the rules, because killing one or two people would never solve the problem.

Just like now, the Tang Dynasty will not be unified because of the death of Li Siyuan, but it will definitely be in chaos because of Li Siyuan's death.

The military power in his hands can make the emperor afraid to act recklessly, which is also his confidence. As long as he does not lose the military power, he can intimidate all officials, remotely control the State of Jin, and control the power of the court.

But what should Kong Xianwen and the others do?

A gleam of brilliance flashed in Li Siyuan's eyes, and after much hesitation, he decided to give up on them. These two chess pieces had lost their function of restraining the emperor. Being able to go home and retire after this was already a good outcome. He could no longer count on them.

Moreover, it was the end of the year and various political affairs were coming one after another in the court. He didn't want to cause any trouble, so he had to be more careful at this time.

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Inside the palace, Li Cunyi held the wine gourd and shook his head frantically, "Xingyun, please let me go. I really don't want to get involved in the affairs of the Xuanming Sect anymore."

Seeing him like this, Su Ming didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Others were afraid that they didn't have enough power, but he kept pushing it away.

Just now he just mentioned that Li Cun Yi should come back to manage Xuanming Sect, but he didn't expect him to react so strongly.

Su Ming nodded and asked, "Okay, brother, since you don't want to take care of it, then I'll find someone else. What are you going to do next, brother?"

Li Cunyi put down the wine jug, a serious look on his face, "Xingyun, I've been in Luoyang for so long, I plan to go out and travel around the world."

"You are now more mature and stable than before. I am relieved that you have Zifan and the others to help you."

Su Ming was stunned. Is my tool going to run away? No, he had to calm him down. "Brother, have I done anything wrong to you? Why don't you stay for a while? It's almost the end of the year, and all over the country will send tribute to Luoyang. There must be good wine in it. It would be a pity to miss it."

When he heard about the good wine, Li Cunyi's eyes lit up immediately, but he thought about it and shook his head sadly, "Forget it, Luoyang City is too prosperous, I'm afraid I won't want to leave if I stay here."

He showed a smile and patted Su Ming's shoulder. "I didn't stay in Tongwenguan at the beginning, and I won't stay now. I don't want to get involved in these things a long time ago. If it weren't for you this time, I wouldn't come to Luoyang. From now on, the road ahead is long, take care of yourself."

Seeing that Li Cunyi seemed to want to leave immediately, Su Ming asked, "Brother, are you in such a hurry to leave? Don't you want to say goodbye to everyone?"

"No, all good things must come to an end. We may have a long way to go, but we will meet again." Li Cun Yi took out a broken folding fan from his arms and said casually.

Seeing his firm attitude, Su Ming sighed inwardly and stopped trying to persuade him.

"My dear brother, please tell Zifan that we'll see each other next time. I must meet my good nephew and grandson. Now I'm leaving!" After saying that, Li Cunyi walked out of the hall and disappeared into the night.

Su Ming laughed in silence and shook his head, "How free and easy."

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The next day, when the court was held again, the Ministry of Rites selected officials, headed by the Minister of Rites Kong Xianwen, to form a negotiation team to go to the border to formally negotiate with the Khitan Kingdom. The news soon spread throughout Luoyang.

Under the secret promotion of the Xuanming Sect, Kong Xianwen and Yan Suchen became pillars of the imperial court. It seemed that by going there, the world would be at peace and they would be able to live a good life.

Confucian scholars, in particular, were running around calling for help and were very excited. Over the past few decades, the borders of the Tang Dynasty had suffered from the ravages of foreign races. Although there was a capable general named Li Cunxu, the Central Plains was the target of invasion most of the time.

Now, the hope for peace talks finally appeared. Coupled with the identities of Kong Xianwen and Yan Suchen as literary giants, they attracted even more attention. For a time, the two of them were the most popular and even overshadowed the princes.

Under the expectant gaze of the people of Luoyang, Kong Xianwen set off. The group marched in a mighty procession out of Luoyang to the west. There was an endless stream of people seeing him off, stretching for miles. Compared with the scene when Zhang Zifan and others were sent on a diplomatic mission to Khitan, it was truly a world of difference.

What they didn't know was that there was a trap waiting for them on the Khitan side.

At the same time, the letter that Su Ming wrote to Yelu Abaoji was also sent to the Mobei royal court through the channels of Xuanming Sect. He did not express his opinion in the letter, but pushed the matter of marriage to the Tang Dynasty negotiation team that was about to arrive at the border.

If they want to form a marriage alliance, they must first pass the test of etiquette and law. If Kong Xianwen and others want to facilitate this negotiation, they must agree to the marriage alliance. They still need to figure out the specific matters. Su Ming pushed it aside and came here at his leisure.

If Kong Xianwen and his men do not accept the marriage, the negotiations will fail and they will surely suffer backlash. As much attention as they received before, they will be despised and scolded in the future. It is a pity that such a good situation was ruined by the hands of treacherous officials!

Therefore, no matter whether he failed or not, his goal would always be achieved, and the loss to him would not be great, because he already knew Yelu Abaoji's attitude, and there would be no shortage of opportunities for cooperation in the future.

After the negotiation team left, Su Ming's attention was no longer on this matter.

After being silent for half a year, it was time for him, the emperor, to take some action. He had been waiting for an opportunity all along, and now, the opportunity had finally come.

No matter how vigilant Li Siyuan was, he would relax in the midst of his busy schedule. After all, the end of the year was approaching, and he, the "Prince of Jin", was busier than the emperor himself.

Authority is not so easy to obtain.

If he fails to satisfy the power groups behind him, Li Siyuan will also suffer great losses. Therefore, at this time, he is busy dealing with various parties, vassal states, princes, and aristocratic families...

As for the aristocratic families of the early Tang Dynasty, they had long been crushed by time. After experiencing wars and the iron fists of several generations of emperors, they had long been divided into large and small families entrenched in the local areas.

The Hedong gentry and the Guanlong clans, the two most representative regional forces in the early Tang Dynasty, have become a group of loose sands. Although their power is still feared to a certain extent, they can only maintain a cooperative relationship with the warlords and dare not take the upper hand.

Chapter 70 Zhang Zifan Can't Take It

In the Central Plains, after thousands of years of evolution, local forces will become weaker and weaker. At the beginning, they are the descendants of the dynasty, with status, money, connections, and territory. In the wave of annexation by various countries in the Spring and Autumn Period, they will become local nobles, lose their independent status, and become vassals, but their influence is still strong.

Next, their fiefdoms became smaller and smaller, and the population, territory and economic strength they controlled became smaller and smaller. They were constantly weakened in the unified dynasty. Later, they evolved into aristocratic families, monsters more terrifying than nobles. They had soldiers and territories, and were the shadow kings of a region.

Then, they were trampled by the barbarians and the feudal lords and became the gentry of today. Under the long-term suppression of the imperial power, they finally became aristocratic families and even gentry and landlords. Their influence gradually shrank to one place and no longer spanned states or counties.

Su Ming recalled the secret records of Tang Dynasty historical manuscripts that he read in Jixian Hall, and a thoughtful look flashed in his eyes. If he wanted to defeat an enemy, the first thing he had to do was to understand this enemy.

Li Siyuan's supporters mainly came from the Three Jins, local tyrants centered in Taiyuan.

It was the old nest of the State of Jin and also its base. As for the original Shatuo tribe, they suffered a lot during the struggle between Jin and Liang. After the deaths of Li Keyong and Li Cunxu, they were far away in the Western Regions and out of reach, so they completely withdrew from the historical stage of the Central Plains.

Local tyrants relied on their advantages as local bosses to gain military and political power in a town, a city, or even a state, and supported Li Siyuan politically and militarily. Similarly, Li Siyuan had to provide them with shelter and convenience in the central court. Both sides benefited mutually, and the only one who suffered losses was the court.

He has already sent a message to the empress, hoping that by the end of the year, he can break the political situation in the court, dismantle Li Siyuan's control, and take back the power of the court from him.

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"What? Fifth Uncle is gone?" Zhang Zifan looked at the empty room and asked Su Ming in disbelief.

Seeing Su Ming nod, he asked again, "When did he leave? I'll see him off."

Su Ming smiled and shook his head, "He left yesterday. I guess you can't catch up with him now. Don't even think about it. I can't stop Big Brother if he wants to leave."

Zhang Zifan looked annoyed and disappointed, "Uncle Wu left, why didn't you tell me so I could see him off."

Su Ming patted his shoulder and said in a deep voice, "You know my elder brother's character. He is used to being at ease. If it weren't for me, he would never come to Luoyang, let alone take charge of Xuanming Sect. I guessed that he would leave, but I didn't expect him to leave so soon. Brother Zhang, please be more open-minded."

Zhang Zifan nodded depressedly, "Okay, this is indeed Uncle Wu's style. If I had known this, I would not have accompanied Lin Xuan yesterday."

Hearing this, Su Ming laughed and scolded, "Forget it, my elder brother said that when he sees you again, he wants to see his nephew and grandson. Don't let him down. Hurry up. If you are unlucky and die one day, the huge Tianshi Mansion will fall into the hands of others."

Speaking of this, Zhang Zifan looked uncomfortable and said unhappily, “Okay, why are you nagging like my mother?”

Then, his expression became serious again, and he asked earnestly, "By the way, Brother Li, are you really not considering the Khitan princess?"

"It's good for the country, but the old scholars in the Ministry of Rites will never agree to it, unless Yelu Abaoji sends his daughter to me as a concubine. But if he does that, his sacrifice will be too great. It's absolutely impossible."

Su Ming glanced at him and continued, "Personally, we have sworn brotherhood with Yelu Abaoji before. I regard him as my elder brother, but he actually wants to be my father-in-law. This is really unreasonable. How can we let him take advantage of us for nothing?"

This time, he didn't mention Ji Ruxue, just leaving a message.

Hearing this, Zhang Zifan burst out laughing, "Brother Li, you know what, I think Yelu Abaoji might really be willing to send his daughter to you as a concubine. He will definitely be very proud if the title of the father-in-law of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty gets out."

"Forget it, stop dreaming. The possibility is very small. Let's not talk about it."

"Before, I selected reliable people from the Xuanming Sect to join the palace guards. With the addition of the troops you brought back from the grassland, the palace guards are now not as short-handed as before. You don't have to patrol everywhere every day."

Zhang Zifan slapped his head and remembered this matter. "If it weren't for Qingguo Qingcheng and the others asking for it, the Khitans would not have been willing to spend so much money and actually sent another 100-man cavalry."

Isn't this the dowry that Yelü Abaoji gave them? After a tour of the Mobei royal court, Zhang Zifan can finally eat the soft rice in peace. As long as Yelü Abaoji is not dead, there will always be some affection in it.

"Okay, stay with Junior Sister. You don't have to worry about guarding these days. With my martial arts, ordinary people can't deal with me. This palace wall can only stop ordinary people. I won't bother you anymore."

For people in the martial arts world who are good at moving around, it is not difficult for them to sneak into the palace if there are not many guards. Li Cun Yi left directly without being discovered by the guards guarding the palace.

When Lu Linxuan was mentioned, Zhang Zifan subconsciously touched his waist, with an unnatural look on his face, "Brother Li, don't be in a hurry to leave."

The land had been dry for several months and was going crazy. He really couldn't bear it anymore, so he hid in Su Ming's place to get some peace and quiet. But he didn't expect that he left so soon. What should he do?

However, no matter how he shouted, Su Ming still left without looking back. Disturbing the young couple was just asking for trouble. He didn't have such a bad taste.

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"Meng Po, how are the arrangements of the Royal Guard going?"

Inside the bedroom, Su Ming stood with his hands behind his back. After growing his hair for several months, it had grown very long and was tied up with a jade hairpin. His jet-black hair, like a waterfall, draped behind him, matching his white robe. His slightly raised eyebrows revealed an imperial majesty in his handsomeness.

Meng Po leaned on a cane, her snow-white hair shining in the light. She lowered her eyebrows and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, we have people in the homes of important officials in the court and even in the governors of various places, but they have just been placed there and cannot pass on the message."

Su Ming nodded approvingly. "Thank you for this matter. There is no rush for information. Let them settle down first. It will come in handy in the future. Is there still no news about Yuan Tiangang?"

Before I knew it, Yuan Tiangang seemed to have not appeared for half a year.

"Your Majesty, even the bad guys don't know where the commander is."

Even the bad guys don’t know?

Su Ming raised his eyebrows, as if he was a little surprised. "Now that Li Cunyi is gone, do you have any ideas about the person who will take charge of Xuanming Sect?"

Chapter 71: Repairing the plank road in the open, but crossing Chencang in secret

Meng Po still maintained a respectful attitude, not overstepping the mark at all. "I dare not comment on this matter, I only hope that Your Majesty will make the final decision!"

Su Ming turned around, looked at her, and said slowly, "You don't have to be so polite in front of me. Others don't know my identity, but don't you know it? I am an emperor in name only, and even this skin is fake. You don't have to be so polite. Relax a little."

Meng Po raised her head, glanced at Su Ming, and bowed again. Her old voice rang out, "Your Majesty, please do not underestimate yourself. As long as you sit in this position, you are the Son of Heaven. Although I was sent by the Marshal, I sincerely hope that the Tang Dynasty can rebuild the country and unify the world like the Han Dynasty did."

"As long as we can revive the Tang Dynasty, it doesn't matter whether it's true or not. This has been the long-cherished wish of the Bad People for three hundred years. I just hope that Your Majesty will not disappoint us. If Your Majesty can really do this, the Marshal will definitely change his mind." His words were full of sincerity.

Sure enough, the mentality of the Bad People has changed. Not every Bad People is willing to obey Yuan Tiangang's orders, Yang Shuzi is like this, and so are the others. Reviving the Tang Dynasty is Yuan Tiangang's obsession, and it is also the obsession of the Bad People.

During this period, although Su Ming was in the palace, he knew everything that happened outside, even faster than Li Siyuan. This was something that the Jinyiwei alone could never do. The only ones who could do this were the Bad People.

Only the Bad Guys can obtain intelligence so quickly and efficiently, so the Jinyiwei's intelligence system can be established so smoothly. At the same time, Su Ming is also observing the Bad Guys and gaining insight into their psychology.

The reason why the Bad People organization has been able to be passed down for more than three hundred years is not only due to Yuan Tiangang, but also due to the belief in reviving the Tang Dynasty. They believe that their actions can revive the Tang Dynasty, and they believe that the Bad Leader can lead them to revive the Tang Dynasty.

Su Ming didn't know whether Yuan Tiangang disappeared on purpose and gave the stage to him, causing the huge group of bad guys to lose their leader. In the past, they could only lie dormant in secret, but now that Su Ming has ascended the throne, they have a choice and will unconsciously move closer to him and provide convenience for him.

Although they did not surrender to him, the current convenience alone saved him a lot of trouble. Unfortunately, before the situation of his fight with Li Siyuan became clear, he could not use these people and they were still waiting and watching.

From a certain perspective, it also reflects the will of the people. The throne of the Son of Heaven, holding the divine weapon, being appointed by heaven, and shouldering great righteousness will naturally gather the hearts of the people. But unfortunately, few people can turn this trend of people's hearts into their own strength.

Throughout history, there are not many emperors who were able to kill powerful ministers.

In an instant, Su Ming's mind was full of thoughts. He stepped forward to help Meng Po up and said solemnly, "Meng Po, don't worry. Reviving the Tang Dynasty is not only your expectation, but also my expectation. The great Tang Dynasty has attracted all nations to pay tribute and is renowned throughout the country. How powerful it is. Now that we have come to this point, I will never give up easily."

At this moment, Meng Po was also feeling a lot of emotion in her heart. The Marshal should have taken this step earlier. If it was him instead of Li Xingyun who appeared when Zhu Wen and his son were killed in Bianliang, the Tang Dynasty might have restored its former glory long ago, and so many years would have been wasted in vain.

This was not the first time she had such an idea. There were even many people among the Bad People who had the same idea as her. If it were an ordinary person, he might still be immersed in the illusory Longquan treasure, but the person in front of her was making plans without making any noise.