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

"Meng Po, I haven't seen you for a year. You have changed a lot."

Looking at Yuan Tiangang sitting at the top, Meng Po was startled. She heard the double meaning in the words. Her expression did not change at all. She said in a dry voice, "General, you are joking. I am still the same person. How could I change?"

"People's minds change, and no one is an exception. I summoned you here today because I want to ask you a few questions. You must answer truthfully." The hoarse voice was as calm as ever.

"Just ask me anything, Marshal. I will tell you everything I know."

Chapter 193: What do you think of Meng Po’s words?

"What on earth did he do during this year?"

Although it was not explicitly stated, Meng Po knew who Yuan Tiangang was talking about.

Then, Meng Po told Su Ming everything that had happened since he ascended the throne, from sending Zhang Zifan as an envoy to Khitan, to winning over Li Cunli, summoning King Qi to the court, establishing the Secretariat, promulgating the new system of the imperial examination, holding the grand examination, selecting concubines, and marrying a princess to the Khitan...

Meng Po witnessed all these events in Luoyang with her own eyes and even participated in them. Apart from the empress, she was the only one who knew the most and understood the most deeply.

She spoke very slowly and Yuan Tiangang listened carefully, asking questions from time to time, wanting to know more details. Meng Po did not get angry, and answered whatever he asked.

After these words, Yuan Tiangang felt even more complicated.

Many things cannot be guessed by words alone. Only people who have experienced it personally like Meng Po can see the key. Outsiders can only see that the emperor is wise and has superb means, but they don't know where these superb means lie, and where the confrontation in the court lies.

Finally, Yuan Tiangang could only sigh, "What a pity! If this boy had been born a hundred years ago, the Tang Dynasty would have prospered and recreated the Kaiyuan Era."

In the past, through the intelligence transmitted by the Bad People, Yuan Tiangang knew that he was not a simple person. He was amazed by his means of forming alliances and his courage to reopen the imperial examinations.

And when Yuan Tiangang learned that Su Ming had rejected Khitan's request for marriage the first time, and Khitan took the initiative to send someone to marry the second time, he was amazed beyond words.

A deal that comes to you is not a good deal. Just a few months later, the attitudes of the two people changed drastically. The dowry sent by Yelu Abaoji was quite generous. It would not have been so easy the first time.

When Yuan Tiangang learned about the backgrounds of the talents selected in the imperial examination, he was shocked. One-third of them came from humble backgrounds.

This number is extremely subtle, and Yuan Tiangang could also sense his thoughts from it. Moreover, the imperial court directly arranged the Jinshi candidates from aristocratic families to compile history books. It seemed to be a good thing, but in fact it was a disguised way of suppressing them.

"What about Li Maozhen? How will he deal with Li Maozhen?" Yuan Tiangang calmed himself down and asked a key question.

Meng Po replied respectfully, "General, Li Maozhen now lives in the Qi Wang Mansion. He no longer calls himself the Qi Wang. He has changed his name to Li Wentong and serves as the deputy commander of the imperial army."

"Just a deputy commander?" Yuan Tiangang was surprised. Using the empress to win over Li Maozhen and let him serve in the imperial guards was indeed a good move, but would Li Maozhen be satisfied with just a deputy commander?

He remembered that Meng Po had just said that the imperial guards only had 5,000 people. How many people could a deputy commander be in charge of? Could Li Maozhen bear this?

In his heyday, Li Maozhen had hundreds of thousands of soldiers and occupied dozens of states. How come he is only a deputy commander? No matter what, the position of commander of the imperial guards cannot satisfy him.

Meng Po nodded, "This is how our people in the Imperial Guards communicated. Li Maozhen is indeed just a deputy commander."

A faint smile flashed across Yuan Tiangang's dark eyes, "Interesting, he really surprises me more and more."

"That's all he has prepared?"

Meng Po sighed, her cloudy eyes showing neither sadness nor joy, "He also ordered me to collect homeless orphans in Bianliang and train 5,000 people in case of emergency."

"You are still too cautious. With the financial resources of Bianliang, it is easy to support an army of tens of thousands." Yuan Tiangang commented indifferently.

Meng Po glanced at Yuan Tiangang inconspicuously, observing his eyes, "What the Marshal said is true, but with his status, it is not easy to achieve this."

"Meng Po, are you pleading for him?"

Meng Po was startled, and noticed that Yuan Tiangang's attitude was a little subtle, so she quickly said, "General, calm down, I am just saying something fair."

"You mean, I'm unfair?" A hoarse voice sounded, erratic and with inexplicable meaning.

"Marshal, I have no such intention. I am just discussing the matter. If I have offended you, please forgive me."

In the past, Meng Po, as Yuan Tiangang's confidant, had been undercover in the Xuanming Sect for more than ten years. She was very loyal. She knew many things about the Bad People that others did not know, and Yuan Tiangang told her many things that he could not tell others.

And now, she suddenly felt that the Marshal in front of her seemed a little strange, different from the Marshal in her memory.

Yuan Tiangang stood up and put his hands behind his back. "It's okay. I said that people's minds change all the time. He wants to restore the Tang Dynasty, of course. I won't deny that. But, he is not the emperor after all. He is just acting on behalf of the emperor."

"Meng Po, don't forget this."

After saying this, Yuan Tiangang stared into Meng Po's eyes, as if warning her and also taking an oath.

Meng Po sighed again in her heart, lowered her eyes, and avoided Yuan Tiangang's gaze, "Marshal, I understand." She did not object or refute.

In the Bad People organization, Yuan Tiangang has the final say and no one can change his will. Once he makes a decision, he will not change it.

Thinking of the figure who was reviewing memorials in Qianqiu Palace, Meng Po felt guilty and sighed for the third time today, thinking that she could no longer help him.

Yuan Tiangang guessed some of Meng Po's thoughts, but he didn't care. Instead, he said to himself, "Now that Li Xingyun has returned, the Longquan treasure game has been reopened. I will go to Luoyang soon. You should stay with Li Xingyun for the time being and don't make it public."

"Don't worry, Marshal. I will leave Li Xingyun and Ji Ruxue to me. I wonder where they will go next?" Of course Meng Po would complete Yuan Tiangang's order meticulously and agreed immediately.

"That guy is ambitious and will not give up the throne so easily. I have to do it myself. I will go first and we will take Luoyang. Once the matter is settled, Li Xingyun will take his place and rebuild the Tang Dynasty."

"Having come this far, our mission as the Bad People has been accomplished. From now on, the person playing chess will no longer be me, but Li Xingyun." Yuan Tiangang said it directly without hiding his thoughts.

Meng Po was stunned for a moment, then said, "I obey your orders."

"You have come all the way from Luoyang, you must be exhausted, go down and rest first."

Meng Po did not say anything, but bowed, turned around and disappeared in the conference room.

"What do you think of what Meng Po said?" Yuan Tiangang suddenly spoke after Meng Po left.

"General, what Meng Po said is basically true and she has not concealed anything, but there seem to be some problems with her ideas." In the corner, Wangzai Jing's inner demon walked out cautiously.

Yuan Tiangang said coldly, "Her thoughts are not important, as long as her words are true."

Chapter 194: It doesn’t matter to me, Marshal!

A trace of worry flashed in the eyes of the Mirror Heart Demon, and he asked, "General, Meng Po is an old member of our Bad People after all. Wasn't what you said just now a bit too hurtful to her?"

Yuan Tiangang's eyes were calm and he said coldly, "If these words can hurt her, then she is not worthy of being an undercover agent in Xuanming Sect for more than ten years, and she has failed my expectations of her."

"This time, I will not allow anyone to ruin my plan. After the fall of the Tang Dynasty, I have been planning for many years and have waited until today. No one in this world can stop me."

As he said that, he turned to look at the Mirror Heart Demon, "Why? Do you have an idea too?"

Seeing his dark eyes, Mirror Heart Demon shuddered subconsciously and said quickly, "General, even if you give me a thousand guts, I still wouldn't dare to do it. With you taking action this time, the revival of the Tang Dynasty will surely succeed."

Yuan Tiangang snorted coldly and retracted his gaze, "Humph, you've talked too much today."

Mirror Heart Demon's face froze, he showed a flattering smile, lowered his head and said nothing.

Seeing that he didn't say anything, Yuan Tiangang said to himself, "No matter what you think, I don't care. No matter how people in the world see me, I don't care!"

"As long as the Tang Dynasty can prosper again, I can take any means, at any cost! I have this determination, and you should have the same!"

"This is my advice to you, and it is also my advice to all the bad guys. Anyone who stands in my way must die! No exceptions!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned into a residual shadow and disappeared. Only the Mirror Heart Demon was still bowing his head. After a long while, he dared to look up when he realized that there was no sound.

Seeing that Bad Commander had left, Jing Xinmo subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Just now, he was really scared!

He didn't expect that he just said a few soft words to Meng Po, but the Marshal actually said such harsh words, showing no mercy at all.

At this moment, like Meng Po, he could only wish good luck to Su Ming who was far away in Luoyang.

……

In the room of the manor, after Li Xingyun took a shower and changed his clothes, he asked the maid to bring him a razor and scissors. On the isolated island overseas, he could be unkempt and not care about his image, because there were only Ji Ruxue and him there, no outsiders.

Now, in order to fight for the Longquan treasure, he has to appear in front of the world and can no longer be as sloppy as before.

Shave the stubble on your face, trim the excess hair at your temples, and change into clean clothes.

Looking at the familiar face in the bronze mirror, Li Xingyun touched his face unconsciously. There had never been a moment when he felt so unfamiliar with himself.

He found that he had changed a lot from what he was a year ago. His originally clean and bright face had become haggard, his eyes had become deeper, and he had a melancholy temperament, no longer as free and easy as before.

"Is this really me?" He asked this question subconsciously.

Somehow, he suddenly thought of the substitute who was far away in Luoyang, and wondered what he had become.

When he saw his stand-in in the underground palace, he was really shocked. He had never thought that there was someone in the world who looked exactly like him.

From the clothes, to the hairstyle, to the temperament, movements, language, and expressions, it's as if they were cast from the same mold.

However, after not seeing him for a year, I don’t know what he has become after becoming emperor, and whether he is like me.

Thinking of this, he suddenly laughed at himself. What's the point of thinking about these things? After finding the Longquan treasure, he and Xue'er would retire to the mountains and forests and not care about worldly affairs. Other things in this world would no longer have anything to do with him.

On the other side, Ji Ruxue sat in the bathtub, looking at the petals floating on the water. She was slightly stunned and subconsciously hugged herself.

She had never felt so helpless as at this moment. Ever since she stepped onto that ship, her heart had never calmed down. It was always hanging in the air and she never felt at ease.

Soon, the water became cold. Ji Ruxue dried herself, changed into new clothes, and simply dressed up in front of the bronze mirror. When the beauty came out of the bath, she was full of charm, and coupled with her charm as a new wife, even she was a little stunned.

……

Luoyang, the imperial guards camp.

Li Wentong stood under the scorching sun, holding a spear and training with the soldiers.

At first, he did not take Su Ming's five thousand imperial guards seriously and did not take them seriously. But when he actually stepped into the imperial guards camp and saw their training, he was immediately shocked.

The imperial guards, who were thought to be scattered soldiers, actually maintained strong energy. Each of them was tall and full of spirit. Although they are still a little immature now, once they go to the battlefield, see blood, and go through several major battles, they will become a first-class strong army.

The soldiers are not numerous, but they are well-trained. On the battlefield, an army like this is enough to defeat ten enemies with one.

Su Ming's imperial guards were only the prototype of elite soldiers, but Li Wentong would not forget that these soldiers had only been trained for less than half a year.

In less than half a year, we can see such a great situation!

After knowing this, Li Wentong admired Su Ming even more. It was amazing that someone who had never been in contact with the military could train such soldiers. If he had not learned the art of war, then he must have been gifted.

In troubled times, it is the dream of any general to be able to command such an army and achieve great success.

So, Li Wentong put aside his arrogance, gave up the life of luxury, and chose to become an ordinary deputy commander, sharing the joys and sorrows with these soldiers, eating and living with them, and becoming a group with them.

With Li Wentong's efforts, he quickly integrated into the army he was in charge of and made sure his orders were carried out. Then, he demonstrated his marksmanship and swordsmanship, defeated other people in the army, and convinced them.

In the army, the strong are respected.

Originally, these soldiers thought that Li Wentong was a relative of someone else and were a little unhappy. They were all ready to laugh at him. Unexpectedly, after several competitions, Li Wentong showed his abilities and the soldiers below really began to believe in him.

In the subsequent monthly competitions, Li Wentong always led his army to win first place, gaining both rewards and face.

Let me ask you, which soldier doesn’t like such a general?

Su Ming was happy to see Li Wentong's actions. Even if he could win over the soldiers, it would be impossible for them to be completely loyal to him.

As the King of Qi, if he couldn't even subdue these soldiers, Su Ming would despise him.

In the main hall, Su Ming was reviewing memorials to the emperor. Chi Meng was sitting beside him, propping up her chin and staring at him without blinking. Her big purple Karanzi eyes were bright and colorful, as if there were little stars in them.