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

With a beautiful woman by his side, Su Ming's heart beat faster. He remained calm and pretended to be calm. "Today is just the beginning. Although Li Siyuan's plan was leaked in advance last time, he has been planning for so long and finally found an opportunity to deal with me. He will never give up easily."

"The larger the size of the draft, the more trouble there will be and the bigger the loopholes will be. If we don't handle it well and Li Siyuan finds an opportunity to take advantage of it, then we'll be in trouble."

The empress's expression also became dignified and solemn. She nodded and said, "Yes, expand the scope of the marriage to the whole world. The noble families in the north and the Central Plains, and the governors of the southern princes, they are all people who can be won over for cooperation."

"If we can marry them and deepen our relationship, it will naturally be a good thing, but if the court cannot treat them equally, they will definitely feel resentful."

Not everyone is a political veteran, and we cannot expect them not to be swayed by personal feelings and ignore the overall interests. Even Li Siyuan is sometimes the same. As a woman, the empress holds a high position and has delicate emotions, so she is very sensitive to these things.

In a sense, the norm is that what is worrying is not the scarcity of wealth but the inequality of wealth. It is impossible to marry the daughter of this prince and not marry the daughter of that prince, and you cannot give special treatment to anyone.

Either none or all.

Su Ming frowned, and suddenly thought, in a sense, this is considered as a preliminary screening, if you don't send your daughter to the palace, do you look down on me, Old Li? Do you want to be beaten?

When I slay you, I will first convict you and then kill your entire family. I can't even spare your daughter. No one in the harem will plead for you. You deserve to be killed.

Looking at it from another angle, it is different. As expected, everything has two sides. If those princes refuse the marriage, it means that they are being won over by Li Siyuan, or they are hostile to Su Ming, the emperor.

Even if one is a fence-sitter, he would not be so straightforward. Even if he cannot bear to give up his own biological daughter, he can always adopt a daughter. There are many ways to do this. What Su Ming wants is an attitude, and those princes also need the attitude of the court. It is mutual.

Just like when a boyfriend and girlfriend are in love, both parties screen each other based on appearance, wealth, and personality. As for character, it is not taken into consideration.

"Then I can only ask you to pay close attention to the lists selected by the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Revenue, and try not to miss any. I will also ask my men to cooperate with your investigation to avoid any accidents." After pondering for a moment, Su Ming made a solemn instruction.

Now in the court, the only person he can trust is the empress.

The empress's eyes flickered as she asked, "Are you talking about the Xuanming Sect?"

Su Ming nodded. "Well, now the Xuanming Sect's spies are scattered all over the world. I will let Meng Po contact you. If you have anything, ask her directly to prevent Li Siyuan's people from secretly doing something."

She showed a playful smile on her face and joked, "I heard that Meng Po is a bad person. Do you trust her so much? Will you continue to let her control the Xuanming Sect?"

Su Ming smiled, his face calm, "Employ people with confidence, don't employ them if you don't trust them. I understand this principle. It's true that Meng Po is a bad person, but that doesn't stop me from employing her. Even if she is loyal to me while reporting intelligence to Yuan Tiangang, I will still employ her."

"Masters at the Great Heavenly Rank are rare, and the Bad Boys are experts in this field. When it comes to intelligence gathering and infiltration, is there any organization in the world that can compare to the Bad Boys?"

Hearing this, the empress nodded silently. This is the style that a ruler should have. No matter if they are loyal or treacherous, one should employ people in a non-standard way, regardless of their character. Only the talented should be employed, and only the loyal should be employed. This is the real way to employ people.

Loyalty comes before talent. No matter how talented a person is, if he acts as a traitor to your subordinates, he will no longer be of any use and must be eliminated as soon as possible. Otherwise, why keep him around for the New Year?

Xiang Yu just didn't understand this point, so the people around him either died or fled, and he ended up committing suicide by slashing his own throat at the Wujiang River.

The empress agreed immediately, and then asked doubtfully, "Okay, I'll keep an eye on this matter for you. But, do you want to do something else?"

Su Ming did not deny it, but simply admitted it, "I can't hide it from you."

"Even if I personally supervise the talent show, it won't help. After all, I'm the emperor, so how can I personally participate? The most I can do is to check when the final quota is compiled."

"The audition will take several months. I don't want to spend so much time in Jixian Hall reading books."

Chapter 107 Test of the Emperor

The empress stood up from the couch, stretched her slender waist, took off the official hat on her head, and her long black hair cascaded down, looking extremely beautiful. "So, what are you going to do next to prepare for the imperial examination?"

hiss!

You use this to test the emperor? Which emperor cannot stand such a test?

Su Ming's eyelids twitched, and he looked away quickly without any fluctuation in his expression. "The rules for the imperial examination can be set before the end of the year. I will personally promote this matter in the court, set a date in advance, and then announce it to the world."

"The new dynasty was established to recruit talented people and win over the hearts of the people. We have too few people under our command, and it is simply not enough. Only by controlling the power of the court can we prepare for war and sharpen our weapons."

If he wants to unify the world, it is impossible to do so without an army belonging to the imperial court. In this era, only the army is the hard truth. Other military governors and vassal states will not obediently hand over their military power, so he must plan early.

Make more preparations while the war in the world has subsided and the court still has some power.

Once the military governors of various places started fighting each other, the banner of the imperial court would be useless. The fighting among the separatist governors was all a struggle for interests, and the war would not stop just because the imperial envoys came forward to mediate, because the imperial court only had righteousness but no deterrent power.

The feudal lords are all arrogant and brave generals, afraid of power but not of reward. Only when the imperial court is strong will the words it speaks be effective and have weight. The current imperial court is supported by the banner of orthodoxy and Li Siyuan's troops.

If Li Siyuan withdrew and returned to Taiyuan to serve as his governor, the imperial court would be left with only a nameplate, and its prestige might even be less than that of the previously destroyed imperial court.

The empress reached out and lifted the hair that fell by her ear, and said softly, "I will fully support you in the court, but our influence on the Ministry of Personnel is limited, so it may be difficult to accomplish this."

Su Ming sighed and said, "No matter how difficult it is, I have to do it. Even if I have to force this matter, I must do it. The longer it takes, the more variables will arise."

In fact, it was because Su Ming guessed that Yuan Tiangang might not have much time left for him.

Li Xingyun is the real bloodline of the Tang Dynasty. He can give himself a chance, so why can't he give Li Xingyun another chance? Even if he has to force him, he will force Li Xingyun to follow the same path as himself.

He must prepare early and be ready to overturn the chessboard. At worst, he would let the Tang Dynasty court be buried with him, abolish Li Xingyun's legitimate identity, destroy the reputation of this identity, and let the name Li Xingyun be despised by the world and be infamous for thousands of years.

Of course, this is the worst plan, and he would not take this step unless it is absolutely necessary.

Although she didn't know what his secret was, but now that things had come to this, the empress had no choice but to support him. She had placed all her hopes on him, and now she could only move on and not regret it.

"Well, I'll help you."

Su Ming looked at the empress for a long while and nodded silently. Everything was said without words.

……

Zhongshu Province.

Li Cunli was sitting at his desk processing official documents when suddenly someone walked in and handed a document to the table. "Sir Li, please approve this document. This is what the King of Jin personally told me to do."

Li Cunli ignored him and waited until he finished dealing with the documents in his hand before he raised his head calmly, "Who are you? Don't you know the rules of the Secretariat?"

The man in front of him had a livid face and stared at Li Cunli, "Sir Li, this is a matter assigned by the King of Jin. Don't forget that you worked under the King of Jin in the past. How come you don't remember our friendship now that you are in the Secretariat?"

Li Cunli smiled coldly, picked up the document on the table, and threw it in his face without even looking at it. "Do you have the qualifications to use the King of Jin to pressure me? If you have the guts, ask the King of Jin to come in person. Otherwise, I will never approve this document."

"Snapped!"

The light document infused Li Cunli's hand with a lot of force, leaving a red mark on his face.

"Li Cunli, you have the guts to disregard the Prince of Jin!" He picked up the official document on the ground, said some harsh words and left in disgrace.

When the other officials present saw this scene, their expressions became complicated and they looked at each other. Was he breaking off relations with the King of Jin?

Li Cunli was Li Siyuan's man before, so he had always been excluded in the Secretariat. What happened today surprised others. In the court, no one dared to be so disrespectful to Li Siyuan.

Even though he was the emperor, Prince Qi and Li Siyuan did not get along, but they remained harmonious on the surface. This was probably the first time he was slapped in the face like this.

This matter spread rapidly in the imperial court and soon reached Li Siyuan's ears.

Prince Jin's Mansion, Imperial Garden.

Li Siyuan was sitting in the pavilion, standing by the railing admiring the koi in the water. The scales on the koi were very beautiful, shining in the sunlight, which was a beautiful sight.

"I see, you go down."

Li Siyuan sprinkled the bait in his hand, and the koi that had just been stretching its body suddenly rushed to the water surface, grabbing the food in big mouthfuls, just like the ordinary fish around it.

Looking at the koi carp greedily snatching the fish food, Li Siyuan's eyes flashed a sneer, "Your Majesty, you should have received this great gift."

Yes, this scene was directed and performed by Li Siyuan himself, and was deliberately performed for Su Ming to see.

Li Cunli's undercover work progressed slowly and he could not gain Su Ming's trust. Although he was the second-in-command of the Secretariat, he could not access the most core official documents of the court in the Secretariat and was ostracized by the people under King Qi.

In order to make Li Cunli serve the emperor as soon as possible, he had to take the stage himself and play a double act to make the court officials think that he and Li Cunli had fallen out and had no friendship anymore.

With such a "letter of surrender", even if the emperor was on guard against him, he would not be as distrustful as before.

He threw all the fish food in his hand into the water and left without looking back.

Li Cunli, please don't let me down.

……

Qianqiu Palace.

When Su Ming learned what happened in the Secretariat, a strange look suddenly appeared on his face, feeling both amused and helpless.

It was obvious that Li Siyuan's move was for show, but the problem was that Li Cunli had already defected to him, so this self-torture tactic was useless from the beginning. Now Li Cunli was undercover in Li Siyuan's place, and this guy was still foolishly acting.

It was really hard for Li Cunli. I guess it must have been very hard for him to act.

Thinking of this, Su Ming was very happy. It was really fun to play with Li Siyuan like a monkey. A faint smile appeared on his lips. Since you want to play this scene, I will play it with you!

The next day, Li Cunli was promoted to the position of Left Vice Minister of the Secretariat, a third-rank official in the court, and was considered to have entered the inner circle of the court. In the Tang Dynasty, the left was respected, and the Secretariat had left and right vice ministers. Although they had the same rank, the left vice minister had the second most powerful voice in the Secretariat after the Secretary-General.

Chapter 108 Kill the Old Boss First

After being promoted to the position of Left Vice Minister of the Secretariat, Li Cunli had greater power in the Secretariat. Officials from the Qi Wang faction no longer excluded him, which made him feel more at ease in the Secretariat and more efficient in his work.

At the same time, in the court, Li Cunli had openly torn his face with Li Siyuan. Even Prince Qi did not treat Li Siyuan so rudely in public. This move undoubtedly confirmed his reputation of surrender.

All the ministers were terrified. They had not expected that not only the Prince of Qi had defected to the emperor, but even the Prince of Xue, the former confidant of the Prince of Jin, had defected to the emperor. Within just one year, the emperor had established a firm foothold in the court and was able to compete with Li Siyuan.

Thinking of the scene when the emperor first ascended the throne, with no one at his disposal and unable to support himself in the court, all officials were shocked. The emperor was truly unfathomable!

Li Cunli's confession of his identity brought about new changes in the court.

Both the Qi Wang Party and the Jin Wang Party underwent subtle changes. The defection of the Xue Wang caused the Jin Wang Party's military morale to weaken. The lower-level officials were in a state of panic. The middle-level officials were still able to remain calm, but the higher-level officials could no longer sit still.

After the news came out, they all went to Prince Jin's mansion to discuss countermeasures.

But the door of the Prince of Jin's mansion was closed, and Li Siyuan refused to see anyone, including Ren Yuan and An Zhonghui, two people who knew about it. If you want to put on a show, you have to do it in full. Li Siyuan believed that the emperor would never miss this opportunity to rectify the court. Li Cunli was a knife in his hand, and it was also a knife in the emperor's hand.

This has nothing to do with identity or status, it’s just the current situation.

Sure enough, as he expected, the first thing Li Cunli did after being promoted to the position of Left Vice Minister of the Secretariat was to impeach officials from Li Siyuan's faction, and he directed all his criticism at the Ministry of Personnel.

The first thing to do when you get ashore is to kill your old boss.

Li Cunli did not attack without reason, but took action after obtaining a lot of solid evidence. The reason why he did not attack other departments was because the Ministry of Personnel was related to Su Ming's next imperial examination plan. If it was interfered by Li Siyuan, I am afraid that a good thing would turn into a bad thing. There must be reliable officials to preside over it to ensure that this imperial examination would not become a joke.

After the emperor's edict was issued, it spread throughout the Central Plains, and scholars from all over the world rushed to Luoyang one after another. This was a feast for scholars. Although it could not guarantee that true talents for governing the country could be selected, at least the court system could be improved and those officials who were just sitting there doing nothing could be replaced.

This move made Li Cunli even more hostile to officials of the Prince of Jin's faction. For several days, Li Siyuan had a gloomy face and did not utter a word when he went to court. It seemed that he was very afraid of Li Cunli, as if Li Cunli had something insignificant in his hands, which made him dare not act rashly.

Li Siyuan did not show up, and the officials under him did not dare to act on their own. After all, there were very few young men like Du Ziming in the court. Now he was still doing corvée labor in the border area, and he might not be able to return to Luoyang in this lifetime.

The previous experience was a lesson for us. Before Li Siyuan made his intention clear, the officials below did not dare to speculate on his thoughts. If they guessed right, it would be fine. But if they guessed wrong...

For a time, Li Cunli impeached the officials of the Ministry of Rites in the court. The officials under Li Siyuan dared not fight back and could only defend themselves. However, Li Cunli did not impeach them based on hearsay, but had real evidence in his hands.

In the face of overwhelming evidence, even the sharpest words seem pale and powerless.

What's more, Li Cunli was not fighting alone. Behind him stood the King of Qi and the Emperor. Li Cunli's betrayal had already made them uneasy, and now the King of Jin had not made a statement, allowing them to impeach him.

This made all the officials even more confused. What happened to Prince Jin?

In just a few days, a large number of officials were purged from the Ministry of Personnel, and officials from the Secretariat were transferred to the Ministry of Personnel and parachuted into it to form their own system. Although they did not have complete control over the Ministry of Personnel, they had a lot of say.

Moreover, not all the people in the Ministry of Personnel were Li Siyuan's men. Most of them were officials left over from the period of Li Cunxu. They were considered to be Li Cunxu's die-hard fans, but they did not oppose Li Siyuan. These people were considered to be neutral in the court.