Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 369 Love Rival

After Yang Qixuan received a severe beating, his wounds were treated by Zhongshu Menxiasheng. Unfortunately, although the bleeding could be stopped, the broken tooth could not be restored.

When the team of prisoners arrived at the imperial city, he endured the pain and rushed to greet them.

However, the ceremonial officer in charge of supervision stopped him.

"you are?"

"Advice to the doctor Yang Qixuan."

His teeth were leaking, and he still had some anti-hemorrhage medicine in his mouth. His voice was slurred, and the official couldn't hear it clearly. He didn't care who he was, he frowned and said, "An official should have the right manners. You look like this." Your appearance is not suitable for driving with you, just get off!"

"I am an important minister of the fifth rank, admonishing the emperor for his gains and losses, how can I not accompany him..."

"Buzz, buzz, buzz, who can understand what you are saying, why don't you back down?!"

Yang Qixuan then spit out the medicinal materials in his mouth, and scolded the official with blood in his mouth.

There were many guards and officials around. However, after seeing the color of their official robes, no one came to mind their own business.

Time gradually passed, and more than thirty steps away, Yang Guozhong and Xue Bai passed by and climbed to the top of the city. After a while, the two people came down from the top of the city, and Yang Qixuan was still arguing with others.

When he turned around, he also saw Xue Bai, and felt deeply that the humiliation he suffered today was all thanks to Xue Bai.

"The villain who beats people is walking openly in front of the emperor, but the person who was beaten is hindered by the cunning officials because of his lack of etiquette. It is beyond the king's law!"

"What's the use of crying for father and mother here? Let me tell you, this is the way of the world. He not only beat you, he also beat Nanzhao!"

The quarrel kept getting worse, and Yang Qixuan was almost angry to death, so he could only keep waving and shouting to Yang Guozhong.

"Right Prime Minister! Right Prime Minister!"

Over there, Yang Guozhong was full of worries. Although he heard the call, he didn't realize that he was now the right prime minister.

He was looking at Xue Bai, trying to win over him with good words, and invited Xue Bai to deal with An Lushan together.

"We must kill An Lushan."

"Right Prime Minister!"

When the call came, Yang Guozhong only felt the noise and didn't even look at it. He subconsciously took Xue Bai and returned to the queue to talk in detail.

Yang Qixuan couldn't accept this scene.

He was the one who defected to Yang Guozhong, abandoning his wife and son and betraying his father-in-law for the cause of the Right Prime Minister. But when he was bullied, Yang Guozhong smiled happily with the person who bullied him? He completely forgot how arrogant Xue Bai was on weekdays.

"Right... right prime minister?"

After calling in a low voice, Yang Qixuan finally gave up the opportunity to accompany him today and prepared to go back to recuperate.

He turned around in disappointment, staggered a few steps, suddenly felt sad, and squatted down on the Imperial City Street.

Abandoning his wife and children, he was alone, without the fairy life he wanted with a beautiful woman. Instead, he lived this virtue. Thinking of this, he burst into tears.

"Hey! You, a dignified red-robed official, are so rude to behave like this."

"You care about me!" Yang Qixuan shouted: "You can't recognize or hear who I am. I can cry if I want to."

"Eating dog intestines. I have seen countless officials in my life, and you are the most cowardly one."

"Am I a coward? You don't know how much I've suffered from being a coward!"

While he was crying, suddenly, there was a commotion outside the imperial city. The courtesy officer who had been blocking him just now ignored him and rushed towards the Suzaku Gate.

Yang Qixuan stopped crying, hesitated for a moment, and then followed.

They passed through the Zhuque Gate and saw that the imperial guards had lined up with spears to drive away the Khitan and Xi prisoners in the distance. Not far in front of them, Li Yanchong was pinching Gao Lishi until a sharp arrow shot down from the city gate.

Yang Qixuan was startled, and then Xue Bai rushed forward to say a few words to Li Yanchong, and even listened to Li Yanchong's words.

Immediately afterwards, someone shouted "The Mighty Saint", and the scene seemed to be instantly ignited. Everyone began to cheer, and gradually everyone inside and outside the imperial city converged into the same voice.

"The saint is mighty."

In fact, the arrow did not go very far. Li Yanchong was more than ten steps away from Zhuque Gate and shot an arrow into his back from the top of the city. Many people in the army could do it, but others did not dare to do it for fear of hurting Gao Lishi. Archery.

Speaking of Li Longji himself, there were many times when he was more powerful than this when he was young. However, he had rested on his great achievements for too long and was getting old and weak. The more he cared about it, the more he needed such praise.

Amidst the praises and praises, some people in the corner of the crowd were muttering in their hearts.

Nalanzhen was already shocked by the majestic scene of the prisoner sacrifice, but now she thought sarcastically in her heart: "Is it difficult to shoot at such a close distance?"

Over there, Yang Qixuan was stunned for a while, then came to his senses and immediately went to find Yang Guozhong.

"Right Prime Minister."

Yang Guozhong was about to deal with the accident just now. When he heard the call, he looked back. After a moment of confusion, he recognized Yang Qixuan and said, "You look like this, so don't go to the celebration banquet. It is detrimental to official etiquette."

"Right Minister, it was Xue Bai who beat me, and he was whispering to Li Yanchong just now..."

Yang Guozhong was impatient to hear this.

He is uneducated and dissolute, but he still knows how to use people. Yang Qixuan is mediocre and can only be effective in dealing with Li Linfu; but Xue Bai has extraordinary means and is a useful candidate to deal with An Lushan next.

"Listen to me, this is for your own good." Yang Guozhong then put his arm around Yang Qixuan's shoulders, patted him, interrupted his words, and said, "If a saint sees you like this, your future will be ruined."

"But, I was beaten like this. According to Tang law, those who beat officials will be severely punished."

"You are covered in wounds, are you absorbing the saint's energy?" Yang Guozhong scolded, "the saint will not see you."

After that, he walked away, leaving Yang Qixuan standing there in confusion.

As the case of Li Linfu's rebellion was finalized, Yang Qixuan also realized that his use value was rapidly decreasing... So, what should we do next? Now that Xue Bai has been established as his love rival, he cannot sit still and wait for death.

After thinking for a while without a clue, people were coming and going around him, and suddenly someone called him.

"Yang Lang?"

Yang Qixuan turned around and first smelled a bad breath coming towards his face. The smell was vaguely familiar.

He took a step back, raised his head, and just then his eyes fell on the other party. He was immediately surprised and exclaimed: "Chicken tongue plague?!"

The smiling official standing in front of him was actually Ji Wen.

"No, I mean Brother Ji... Jiwen?" Yang Qixuan quickly added, and couldn't help but ask: "Aren't you dead?"

After not seeing each other for several years, Ji Wen's aura became much stronger. With a arrogant smile on his face, he said: "I was just demoted and released, not executed after questioning."

"At that time I thought you were going to die."

"Yes, I think so too." Ji Wen said, his eyes falling on Xue Bai in the distance.

Yang Qixuan followed his gaze and saw that Xue Bai had stood up and was talking to Gao Lishi, without noticing them.

At this moment, the two of them had a common position.

"Brother Jiwen, have you been promoted? How did you do this?"

Ji Wen looked at Yang Qixuan, smiling and saying nothing. At this time, two soldiers from Fan Yang rushed over and saluted: "Judge Ji, the saint has summoned you to ask for the details of the prisoner King Xi."

"Go here."

Ji Wen nodded to Yang Qixuan thoughtfully, turned around and rushed to the city to accept the saint's summons.

It had been five years since he left Chang'an. When he entered the imperial city again, he couldn't help but feel excited. He was determined not to let anyone drive him out of Chang'an again.

He took out two pieces of female lilac from his sleeves, held them in his mouth, climbed the stone steps, and bowed in front of Li Longji.

"I wish you good health, I wish the saint good health. The power of the saint spreads far and wide, and the barbarians from all over the world have surrendered. I congratulate the saint."

I think he is better at talking than before. Maybe I learned it from An Lushan, and I know what to say to make the saint happy.

After saluting, he couldn't help but praise again before he got permission to continue speaking.

"Today the sage killed King Xi with one arrow, and the ministers sighed in admiration."

Li Longji was originally a little displeased. Fan Yangjun escorted Li Yanchong to Beijing, but he was deceived by allowing Li Yanchong to pretend to be dying and almost hurt Gao Lishi's life. He deliberately questioned him.

After listening to people's praises and Ji Wen's words, he began to feel that the accident was not a bad thing. Although he failed to humiliate Li Yanchong, killing King Xi with one arrow only increased the emperor's prestige. In the future history books There should also be a note on it.

Li Longji then pointed at Sun Xiaozhe and said to Ji Wen: "Sun Xiaozhe is stupid and said that you would take care of everything in Fan Yang's army. Then it is up to you to tell me how An Lushan captured Li Yanchong?"

"After Fan Yang's army defeated the Khitan army, Lord Anfu was on his way back to the army. He found that the Xi tribe had not received the news and was not alert. So regardless of his injuries, he marched 800 miles in a hurry and made a surprise attack on Li Yanchong's camp..."

Although Jiwen has bad breath, his eloquence is much better than that of Sun Xiaozhe. After saying a general sentence at first, he went into many details and the local customs of Xi Di.

At the end, he became excited and said: "I made a big mistake in the past and was demoted to Liaodong. Fortunately, Lord Anfu did not dislike me and appointed me to continue to serve the saint. This time, I met him in the bitter cold land of Liaodong. I am deeply affected by the loyalty and bravery of the border town athletes and feel deeply ashamed."

Li Longji didn't remember what mistake Jiwen made back then, so he asked.

Ji Wen hesitated and replied: "Someone accused me of hiring a murderer to kill someone."

Li Longji still didn't remember what it was, but he just remembered that it was related to Xue Bai. At that time, it seemed that Yang Yuhuan said a few words for Xue Bai, which made him unhappy with Ji Wen.

This moment, that moment, looking at it now, Ji Wen is much more pleasing to the eye.

"Don't be ashamed, you did a good job." Li Longji said: "Reward."

"I'm brave," Ji Wen said quickly, "I want to ask the saint for a reward."

"Tell me." Li Longji said very boldly, "You are a meritorious minister. If you want any reward, just tell me."

"I grew up in Guanzhong and cannot bear the cold in Liaodong. I sincerely ask the saint to help me return to Chang'an."

"That's right."

Li Longji was very generous and gave Ji Wen an official position with a wave of his hand.

~~

Li Yanchong was already dead, and Ge Luofeng was beheaded in public.

With an order, the sword was slashed, and a human head rolled to the ground. The most exciting moment came at the prisoner presentation ceremony. But once the heads were hung up, there was nothing more beautiful to see, and the people dispersed one after another.

Yang Qixuan deliberately waited for Ji Wen at the city gate, but after waiting for a long time, he did not see Ji Wen come out again.

He then asked someone to inquire and learned that Ji Wen had also gone with the saint to the celebration banquet. And as a fifth-rank minister, he was not even qualified to attend the banquet.

Back at the house that night, Yang Qixuan lay on the couch alone and tossed and turned, feeling a dull pain in his face from time to time. He wished he could take revenge on Xue Bai and take back Li Jilan and Li Tengkong. Thinking about what happened later, he sighed worriedly, knowing that Yang Guozhong was unreliable. If he raised such a formidable enemy, he would not know what to do in the future.

In the dream, I smelled a strong bad breath again. By the next day, Yang Qixuan's injury was still not healed. Fortunately, it was a skin injury, so he could still cheer up and work hard for his future. However, what really prevented him from going to the government office to take charge was that Xue Bai, a member of the Zhongshu family, started to work in the lower province of the Zhongshu family today. He was afraid that he would be beaten by Xue Bai again.

He had no choice but to send his attendants to the lower province of Zhongshumen to inquire about it, but he got a piece of news.

"Alang, everyone is talking about one thing today. It seems that Ji Wen has also been appointed as the admonishment doctor."

"I was demoted?!" Yang Qixuan was horrified, secretly thinking that Xue Bai's methods were so terrible, and said in a trembling voice: "Where was I demoted to?!"

"Alang has not been demoted. Alang, there should be more than one person advising the doctor, right?"

"Of course I know!"

Yang Qixuan sat there biting his nails. When the nails on both hands were bitten to the point of flesh, and there was a dull pain, he finally made up his mind and ordered: "Give me a greeting card, I want to see Ji Wen. "

He finally understood that the only person who could truly obtain the Sacred Heart was An Lushan. Especially after the prisoners were sacrificed yesterday, the saint relied on and loved Anlushan even more.

With this in mind, Yang Qixuan went all the way to Fan Yang Jinzou Academy.

Jiedu envoys from all over the country have set up Jinzou Yuan in Chang'an to deliver letters and inquire about news. Among them, Fan Yang Jinzou Yuan is the largest and has the largest number of people. An Lushan's concern for Chang'an was the first of the Jiedushi envoys.

Every day, Fan Yang would send people outside the Imperial City and Palace City to inquire about the latest imperial reports and official documents from the officials. After sorting them out, they would quickly send them to Fan Yang.

When Yang Qixuan arrived, he saw such a busy scene.

He took a deep breath and felt inspired. I think I have finally found the right person this time, and this is what I am really doing.

"I'm here to see Brother Jiwen?" he asked a handyman.

"Doctor Yang is here. I will take you over. This way please."

Even this indirect attitude towards others made Yang Qixuan feel heartwarming. Walking into Fan Yang Jinzou Courtyard, you can see the houses lined up one after another, like a maze.

Ji Wen's old house had been confiscated long ago. He just returned to Chang'an this time and stayed here temporarily, busy explaining his errands in Fan Yang's army.

"Brother Ji!" Yang Qixuan saw him from a distance and quickly caught up with him, very enthusiastically.

Ji Wen was not so enthusiastic. He picked up a female lilac with his fingers and put it into his mouth. After thinking about it, he put it down again and said lightly: "Why are you here today?"

Yang Qixuan walked too fast and rushed to Ji Wen, and immediately smelled a stench.

He paused for a moment and reminded himself not to show any disgust, so he forced a smile and said, "Brother Ji and I haven't seen each other for many years, and we want to have a good chat."

"Okay."

Ji Wen put down his errands and invited Yang Qixuan to sit across from each other on the couch. There was only a low table between them, with a wine bottle placed on the table.

"Have a drink at the bar."

Ji Wen poured the wine, leaned forward and said, "I haven't asked you yet, what's the reason for the injury on your face?"

At this distance, Yang Qixuan felt so smelly that he couldn't breathe. I thought to myself, no wonder Chicken Tongue Bane is best at torture, this is already torture.

He didn't dare to lean back, but instead leaned forward and said, "Thanks to Xue Bai for beating me."

"Why?"

"Because," Yang Qixuan thought for a while, and there was really no other reason, and then said, "He and I are love rivals."

Ji Wen heard this funny and asked, "He hooked up with Li Shiniang?"

"No." Yang Qixuan shook his head, not knowing where to start, so he simply said in a roundabout way: "They are the two female crowns of Yuzhen Temple, Ji Lanzi and Tengkongzi."

"what?"

Ji Wen's smile became more real. There was a look of surprise in his eyes as he asked, "Are you and Xue Bai fighting over these two women? Are you jealous and he beats you because of it?"

"That's right." Yang Qixuan said breathlessly.

He couldn't bear it anymore, so he didn't want to hang out with Ji Wen anymore, so he brought the topic to business, pondered, and spoke.

"Seeing Brother Ji again this time, I really miss the days when we worked together. Now that the big tree in the Li family has fallen, Brother Ji has found a good tree to live in, but I am still enduring the wind and rain."

Jiwen yawned widely.

Afterwards, he observed Yang Qixuan and saw that Yang Qixuan opened his mouth and yawned after being in a daze for a few breaths.

Then he spoke slowly: "Serving under Lord Anfu's tent is indeed a good place for a good bird to roost..."

~~

Dongshi, Fenghui Bank.

A waiter hurriedly came from Shengyefang and handed a small paper roll tied with a yellow ribbon to the counter in the corner.

This small paper roll was separated from the other paper rolls and sent to the backyard.

Qu Shui was sitting at the stone table drinking tea. He took the scroll and rushed to the attic at the back. He reported through the door: "Er Niang, there is news about the matter that Mr. Lang is keeping an eye on."

There was no answer inside the door. After a while, Xue Bai opened the door, took the small scroll, closed the door again, sat back on the couch, unfolded the scroll and looked at it.

Du Jin came over, pressed on his back, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Yang Qixuan went to Fan Yang to enter the memorial hall."

"It's not surprising that he can betray the right prime minister once and twice."

Xue Bai said: "From this point of view, An Lushan and Yang Guozhong are going to be tit for tat again."

"These important ministers are also busy. After fighting this and that." Du Jin sneered and said: "These two just joined forces to deal with Li Linfu, but they fell out so quickly."

"The source of their power comes from Li Longji's favor, and conflicts are inevitable." Xue Bai thought for a while and gave an example, "Just like the concubines in the harem, the ones who are most likely to compete with each other for favor are usually two similar ones. indivual."

"Sister A and I will not compete for favor. She will be here soon."

"Huh? My mother doesn't like daytime pleasures."

"Really? Then maybe she is afraid that you will attract bees and butterflies again?"

Xue Bai touched his nose and said: "Continuing with the topic just now, once the prisoner sacrifice comes out, the conflict between Yang Guozhong and An Lushan cannot wait until the dust of Li Linfu's rebellion is settled."

"Can I not punish my slave?" Du Jin said, "This is a great opportunity to win people's hearts."

"Condemnation is certain. They have a tacit understanding on this matter. This is officialdom. There is cooperation in struggle, and struggle in cooperation." Xue Bai said: "Li Linfu is dead, and there is no way to turn this case over. There is no dispute between them. It is necessary. We will convict them and confiscate their homes when the time comes, but it will not affect their fight now."

Du Jin thought for a while and asked, "Are you planning to take advantage of the two tigers fighting to protect the Li family and please your Li Xiaoxian?"

"This is the plan, but you guessed my purpose wrong." Xue Bai muttered: "I want to win over the forces left by Li Linfu."

"How much power can a person with a heart smaller than a needle have?" Du Jin smiled and said, "In my opinion, apart from a beautiful and beautiful daughter, all that Genu left behind was the resentment of the world."

"You can't say anything to death. He recommended many Hu people from slightly cold backgrounds to serve as border towns. For example, Ge Shuhan, Gao Xianzhi, and An Sishun were all promoted to Jiedushi under him. Although they have not stepped forward now, they may not be without gratitude in their hearts. .”

"so what?"

Xue Bai said: "Let me ask you first, An Lushan and Yang Guozhong are fighting. They are fighting for favor, but what does An Lushan want? Phase?"

"No." Du Jin immediately shook his head and said, "An Lushan doesn't want to become prime minister. What he wants is..."

"Hedong Jiedu Envoy."

The two said it almost in unison.

Xue Bai said: "Wang Zhongsi destroyed Nanzhao and made great achievements. He is still ill now, so he must not be able to return to Hedong to guard it. And the person who has the ability to compete with An Lushan for the Hedong Jiedu envoy is exactly what I just mentioned Li Linfu The recommended Hu man is Bian Shuai. Therefore, I want Li Xiu to be my staff to deal with the upcoming disputes in Bian Town."

He had a premonition that if An Lushan could not be prevented from winning the post of Hedong Jiedushi, the world would be in chaos.

~~

A few days later, Dali Temple Prison.

Li Xiu lay weakly on the thatch pile, with no luster in his eyes.

He knew that the Li family was on the verge of death. The reason why he did not punish him immediately was because the saint did not want this matter to affect his great achievements. The prisoner presentation ceremony has passed, and the court will definitely punish the Li family severely.

Suddenly, his ears moved and he heard footsteps outside the cell door.

That was the warden here. Because of Du Wulang's relationship, the warden felt that Li Xiu might have the slightest chance of overturning the case, and treated him much more politely.

"Li Juro, the decree has been issued."

"Am I... a capital offender?"

"Almost, exiled to Yande County, do you think you can live there?"

Li Xiu has been in poor health recently, and his mind has been a lot sluggish. He muttered: "Yande County? That's in... Zhenzhou? It's further south than Lingnan."

The place further south than Lingnan is naturally Hainan. Zhenzhou is farther than Yazhou and is at the southernmost part of the island. He definitely wouldn't be able to get there, he just didn't know where he would die on the road.

He reluctantly stood up, and the wounds on his body were affected. He grinned in pain and said: "Warden, I have one more thing to ask you..."

"Don't worry, the women and children in your family are being protected. There is no result yet, but the temple minister didn't let me escort them out of prison."

"Is it Xue Bai?"

"Ha, there are rumors in Chang'an City now that Xue Lang and Yang Qixuan, the admonishing doctor, are fighting for your sister's favor. You can go in peace."

Li Xiu felt uneasy, but had no choice but to stumble out of the cell door.

He thought he was going to Zhenzhou, but when he left Dali Temple, he saw a purple-robed official leading a group of people lining up at the Cross Street of the Imperial City, talking in low voices.

"It must be done, so go ahead after receiving the order."

"Should."

"Li Xiu is here."

All the officials looked back at Li Xiu, and a trace of pity flashed in the eyes of some of them.

Chen Xilie sighed and said, "Let's go."

Li Xiu was pushed for a few steps, but still didn't know what happened. He said blankly: "Prime Minister Zuo, is this... sending me to exile?"

Chen Xilie was silent for a moment and said, "Okay, then I'll give you a ride."

Li Xiu nodded and turned around, only to see a thin wooden coffin in the team...

(End of this chapter)