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

In the court, he did not take any action to paralyze Li Siyuan, but secretly let the Jinyiwei spy and collect information so that he could know himself and the enemy. Such forbearance and scheming are shocking.

Sensing her change of mind, Su Ming did not continue talking about this topic. "Since you don't want to talk about the Xuanming Sect, then let's not talk about it. What is the reaction of the Queen of Qi now?"

Meng Po's eyes fixed, and she replied seriously, "The Empress was constrained by Li Siyuan in many ways, and Qi State's momentum is not as strong as before. Although she cleaned up the bureaucracy, reduced taxes, and protected the country and the people, she could only barely hold on."

"As soon as your Majesty's letter arrived, the Queen agreed to your request and promised to form an alliance, and has already put it into action."

Build a plank road in the open and cross Chencang secretly.

This tactic has been tried and tested since ancient times.

On the surface, he wanted to form an alliance with the Khitan and use their power to deal with Li Siyuan, but in fact, the empress was his real target.

The Khitans lived on the grasslands, in the northern desert, and were out of reach. Even if we formed an alliance, we could at most give them some support, but not a helping hand. Moreover, if we were not careful, we would become "traitors" and ruin our reputation.

As the Son of Heaven, he must be careful about his reputation and cannot be branded as “colluding with barbarians and betraying the country.”

Therefore, during this peace talk, he decisively stopped and handed over the aftermath to the Ministry of Rites. On the one hand, it was to dig a hole and bury the person, and on the other hand, it was to get out of it as soon as possible to avoid getting into trouble.

On the contrary, the State of Qi where the empress was located was not far from Luoyang, and was next to the State of Jin. Even though it was weak now, it was still one of the top vassal states in the world.

In comparison, the South and Shu Kingdom are not that strong. Although they have a large number of people and strong forces, they are no match for the North in a fight.

It has to be said that the family fortune left by my eldest brother-in-law is so rich that sixteen years have passed, and he is still able to maintain considerable power.

Now Qi State is being targeted by Li Siyuan and is caught in a dilemma. With him as the emperor in charge of the court, it means that the Tang Dynasty is now in control and it is legitimate to deal with the vassal states. However, Li Siyuan does not dare to go too far now.

But not going too far now does not mean not taking action in the future, so Su Ming must seize this opportunity and join forces with the empress to fight against Li Siyuan.

As for whether it would lead to a wolf entering the house, he was not worried at all.

The empress is not Dong Zhuo, he does not have that power. Secondly, she is a woman and is interested in Li Xingyun. Moreover, among the princes in the world, the only one who can compare with Li Siyuan in terms of merit and reputation is Li Maozhen.

The most crucial step is to use the empress to restrain Li Siyuan. Both of them are vassal kings. Although there is a gap in strength, the empress has his support and may not be unable to compete with Li Siyuan.

Li Siyuan must have been troubled by the emperor personally stepping in as the referee to take sides. The reason why Su Ming did not speak out before was because he had no one available in the court, and no one was important enough to compete with Li Siyuan.

The most important thing is that the empress has soldiers in her hands, which is his ultimate goal.

Whether it is the Jinyiwei or the Xuanming Sect, although they are very important, they still have to fight with real swords and guns on the battlefield. Taking unconventional measures will not last long. Only when an emperor has soldiers loyal to him can he stand firm and sit firmly on the throne.

Chapter 72 Yanmen Pass

Su Ming nodded in satisfaction and said with a smile, "Okay, as long as the empress is willing to join forces, it will be much easier to deal with Li Siyuan. Where are the officials from the Ministry of Rites? Calculating the time, they should be almost at the border."

"Your Majesty, Minister Kong caught a cold on the way and was delayed for some time. We are expected to arrive at Yanmen Pass in three days."

Hearing this, Su Ming smiled faintly, "Minister Kong may be old, but his heart is young. He has great ambitions to achieve great things. Unfortunately, the letter I sent to Yelu Abaoji has already reached him. This peace talk is likely to fail."

······

At the same time, in the Mobei royal court.

Yelu Abaoji sat on the throne, holding the letter in his hand, with a sneer and slight anger on his face, "Yueliduo, this is really interesting. I didn't expect Li Xingyun to reject my kindness."

Although he had certain calculations in marrying his daughter to him, Yelu Abaoji still felt a little embarrassed when he was rejected.

Shuliduo sat beside him, his eyes cold, "Qiusilizhi, let me see the letter."

Yelu Abaoji handed the letter to Shuliduo nonchalantly. She took the letter and examined it carefully, a curve appeared on her plump red face. "Qiusilizhi, he is not rejecting your kindness, but even if he agrees, this matter cannot succeed."

"You have so many Han officials around you. Don't you know how xenophobic the people of the Central Plains are? The Central Plains court will not allow a foreign woman to be their queen. What's more, we have not been friendly to the Central Plains in the past. The two sides are deeply hostile and even hate each other."

A gentle voice sounded, and Yelu Abaoji suppressed his anger, took the letter and examined it carefully. He regained some rationality, and a thoughtful look appeared on his face. "It seems that the contradictions in the Central Plains court are greater than I thought. The officials he sent this time are obviously here to take the blame. However, this kid actually said in the letter that he wanted my daughter to be his concubine. He really dared to think so."

Shuliduo understood the meaning of the words and said, "Aogu is the pearl of my grassland and the saint of Shamanism. He is just a puppet monarch and has no right to touch her. Since he doesn't want this, we are happy to see it happen."

However, Yelu Abaoji sneered, "It's not that simple. This guy saw through my plan and knew that I wanted to intensify the internal conflicts in the Central Plains, so he was fearless."

"Now, he sent an envoy to negotiate, obviously trying to transfer the pressure to us and use the Khitan to attack his enemies. Yueliduo, this kid is more cunning than I thought."

Shuliduo raised her eyebrows slightly and said softly, "A cunning and patient emperor, plus a powerful minister with great power, isn't this exactly what we want to see? If he is too young, why should we help him?"

Yelu Abaoji laughed and put his arm around Shuliduo's shoulders. "You're right. This guy is becoming more and more to my liking. It's a pity that Aogu can't be his concubine, otherwise he would be a good match."

"Chuolizhi, since the marriage alliance failed, what should we do?"

Yelu Abaoji said in a deep voice, "Yueliduo, don't worry. Since this guy dares to do this, it means he is very confident. Otherwise, when the situation really deteriorates, how can he dare to refuse me?"

"We don't need to get involved in the affairs of the Central Plains. Li Siyuan is not so easy to deal with. He was able to develop such a large force under Li Cunxu. This person is definitely not an easy person to deal with."

"Neither of these two people is easy to deal with. Just wait and see. It won't be long before the Central Plains court becomes busy. By then, it won't be too late for us to intervene!"

Although Shuliduo wanted to say something, she stopped talking when she saw his decisive look. Instead, she changed the subject and said, "By the way, Aogu is not young anymore. Recently, many young men in the tribe have been asking about her. Do you have anyone you like?"

Speaking of his own daughter, Yelu Abaoji had a doting look on his face, "What else can those guys in the tribe do besides killing people? They have no brains at all. If they were half as smart as Li Xingyun, would I have to wait until now?"

Then, his expression changed, and he said in a cold voice, "Recently, the Bohai Kingdom has been making some moves, competing with us for pastures, and injuring many people. We must find an opportunity to teach them a lesson."

"When we failed in our march south, many people started to have evil thoughts. They have been silent for so long, it is time to take action and tell them that the Khitan is the king of the grassland, and they are only worthy of being his subjects!"

When Shulido saw Yelu Abaoji's cold and determined eyes, a look of obsession appeared on her face. This was her childhood sweetheart, the wolf king who galloped across the grassland.

······

Outside Yanmen Pass, Kong Xianwen and Yan Suchen arrived here exhausted. The majestic pass before them stood tall above the earth, blocking the troops from the grassland. The traces on the city walls were weathered and mottled, engraved with a long history.

With the help of his servants, Kong Xianwen climbed up the city gate and looked down at the outside of the city. He sighed in his heart, "Jin'an, I have spent my whole life in the Central Plains. Only after coming here today do I realize how magnificent and desolate the north is."

"No wonder the Tang ancestors were able to write so many heroic and magnificent poems. Compared with the prosperity of the Central Plains, this place has a different scenery."

Yan Suchen stood beside him, his old eyes looking into the distance, as if recalling memories, "Yes, Brother Zhuozhen, over the years, there have been wars everywhere, and these soldiers stationed here have finally done something good."

Speaking of soldiers, Kong Xianwen's good mood was immediately ruined. He snorted coldly, "If it weren't for these soldiers rebelling, how could the court be so weak that it even lost the Western Regions that it had managed for a hundred years."

Yan Suchen sighed in his heart but did not agree. The Confucius family was high up and mighty and would not know the suffering of the lower classes. But he knew something about it. If the soldiers at the bottom were not suffering to the extreme, how could they rebel? If the court could have been better, the situation would not have evolved to this point.

Seeing that Kong Xianwen wanted to say something, he quickly stopped talking and said, "Okay, Brother Zhuozhen, take the wine and drinks that His Majesty gave them. We will still need to rely on them in the next negotiation with the Khitan, so we must not cause any trouble."

"Your Majesty, you think you can win people's hearts with just some wine? You are really delusional!" Speaking of the emperor, Kong Xianwen suddenly recalled those bad memories. His expression became even colder. He turned around and said indifferently, "I'll leave this matter to you. It's getting late today and I'm a little tired. I'll send someone to negotiate with the grassland tomorrow."

After saying that, he left.

Yan Suchen smiled bitterly and shook his head, and followed him down the wall. The wind here was too strong, and it made his hair messy. It was better to go down as soon as possible. Because of the mission, Su Ming asked the envoys to bring some wine to reward the soldiers. Anyway, the wine was piled up in the palace wine cellar, and he couldn't use it. It would be better to give it to the soldiers on the border to keep out the cold.

No matter who these soldiers belong to, they are worthy of his reward because they are stationed on the border, enduring the harsh environment and guarding the national border.

Chapter 73 Pulling Each Other

Su Ming and Yelu Abaoji both knew that this peace talk was just a formality, and what both sides wanted could not be written on paper at all, so although the peace talks seemed to be a grand event, in fact, it was a tacit understanding among the top leaders.

Li Siyuan had guessed this long ago, so after the matter was taken over by Kong Xianwen and others, he no longer paid any attention to it.

In fact, in the court, as long as Su Ming did not cause trouble at will, Li Siyuan really did not have many ways to deal with him. After all, the emperor indirectly killed Zhu Wen and his son in Bianliang, and this matter gradually spread, and the people below had a good impression of him.

Needless to say, the remaining means of frame-up and slander could easily backfire if not handled properly. What's more, Yuan Tiangang was standing behind the emperor, so he always had to be cautious and did not dare to go too far.

Therefore, he tried many times in the court, wanting to delegate power to the emperor, but the emperor just wouldn't fall into the trap. He thought that as long as he didn't do anything, he wouldn't be wrong, and as long as he did nothing, he wouldn't lose his dignity.

This is equivalent to a tug-of-war in the confrontation lane. Whoever's skills miss will lose the initiative and will be beaten. Su Ming will focus on one core, hide under the tower, and develop slowly.

It doesn’t matter whether you eat the soldiers or not. What’s important is to keep your health healthy, wait for your teammates, and wait for an opportunity to counterattack.

In history, those emperors who did not hold power were eventually overthrown by powerful ministers. Most of them relied on their status as emperors to stir up trouble everywhere, but ended up not getting things done, but instead getting themselves into trouble.

Not only were his subordinates killed as an example to others, but his own prestige was greatly reduced, and he eventually lost the support of the people and died a slow death bit by bit. The operational model of getting rid of powerful officials is clearly recorded in history books, but it's a pity that most people can't learn from it.

In general, Emperor Su Ming is pretty good except that he has no soldiers and no ministers loyal to him. However, it's not that he doesn't have ministers loyal to the Tang Dynasty, but these people are just waiting and watching and dare not make rash bets.

Now in the court, Li Siyuan can be said to have absolute power. Even if the so-called royalists stand up, it will be of no use.

However, compared to Li Siyuan making trouble in the court, Su Ming was more afraid that he would leave the court and go directly back to Jin State, hiding his strength and developing secretly, hiding in a place and remotely controlling Luoyang. This was more worrying.

······

In the Prince of Jin's mansion, Li Siyuan sat at the head of the table, sipping tea with a carefree look on his face. He asked nonchalantly, "What has the emperor been doing in the palace lately?"

“Your Highness, Prince Jin, apart from attending court and reviewing memorials, the emperor is reading in the Jixian Hall at other times.” Not far from him, the man in white knelt on the ground and said in a deep voice.

"Reading?" Li Siyuan was stunned. He had been very busy recently. The six ministries and three departments of the court became busier as the year drew to a close.

For a person who craves for power, once he has grasped the power, he will not let it go. Li Siyuan also knew very well that the officials in the court were all fence-sitters. They seemed loyal to him, but in fact they were watching secretly.

As soon as they show signs of weakness, they will immediately pledge allegiance to the emperor.

Moreover, there were who knows how many low-level officials in Luoyang City who were loyal to the Tang Dynasty. These people received salaries from the court and came from poor families. They did not have a good impression of the aristocratic families and the vassal states. Instead, because of the influence of the ignorant people, their minds were full of ideas of loyalty to the emperor and serving the country.

In fact, the people who truly decide the fate of a city or even a place are not that loyal to the court. The grassroots officials are the cornerstone, but they cannot play much of a role on the historical stage. They can only go with the flow and be swept away by the general trend.

Li Siyuan then asked, "In the palace, how are Lu Linxuan and the others? Are they making any moves?"

"Lu Linxuan has been hanging out with Zhang Zifan these past few days and has not made any other moves."

Then, he seemed to have thought of something and asked hurriedly, "How are you tracking down the people from Xuanming Sect? And Meng Po and Li Cunyi, where are they?"

The man in white quickly replied, "Prince Jin, since Li Xingyun entered the palace, all the people from the Xuanming Sect have been hiding. They seem to have withdrawn from Luoyang. All the spies we planted inside have been eliminated, and we can't find where they are."

"Meng Po's whereabouts are erratic. Sometimes she is in Luoyang, sometimes in Jiangnan, and sometimes in Chang'an. Her martial arts skills are too high. The spies who followed her suffered heavy losses. I am not sure about her either."

"Li Cunyi left Luoyang not long ago and is now in Shu."

"Shu? Li Cunyi is in Shu? Why didn't you report this news earlier!" Hearing these two words, Li Siyuan's sensitive nerves were instantly aroused. He sat up from his chair, narrowed his eyes slightly, and there seemed to be a cold light flashing.

The man in white shuddered immediately, knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, "Prince Jin, please spare my life. I just learned this news, and I didn't deliberately not report it."

Hearing this, Li Siyuan's anger instantly disappeared, and he said lightly, "Go away."

The man in white kowtowed quickly as if he had been pardoned, then turned and left.

After the figure in white disappeared, Li Siyuan returned to his chair and sat down, doubts rising in his mind, "Shu? Does the emperor want to join forces with Meng Zhixiang to deal with me?"

The next moment he shook his head gently, "Impossible, Meng Zhixiang is a well-known fence-sitter, he doesn't dare to move when Li Cunxu was at the peak of his power and he was sent to Shu."

"After Li Cunxu died, he established himself as king in Shu. How could such a person possibly turn to the emperor? Once the emperor gained power, a rebellious vassal like him would be liquidated sooner or later."

"Meng Zhixiang wouldn't be so stupid, but why is Li Cunyi in Shu? What does the emperor want to do?" This question puzzled Li Siyuan. He never figured out the reason and could only put it aside for the time being.

Who could have known that Li Cunyi's leaving Luoyang and wandering around the world would inadvertently cause Li Siyuan to have such a big doubt.

······

Qianqiu Palace.

Su Ming went to play chess with Li Cunli again. Ever since the last peace talks were taken over by the Ministry of Rites, Su Ming had never summoned Li Cunli again. Today was the first time.

"Prince Xue, how is the mission of the Secretariat going?" Su Ming pressed down a chess piece and asked casually.

After so many meetings, Li Cunli and him became more and more familiar with each other. He did not stick to formalities, but directly complained, "Your Majesty, the closer it gets to the end of the year, the more busy the Secretariat is. In addition, the Prince of Jin asks about government affairs from time to time, and the Secretariat is suffering. If Your Majesty had not transferred minor officials from various departments to strengthen the departments before, the Secretariat might have stopped functioning by now."