Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 372 Peng E

The weather in Chang'an is getting hotter in May, but the Dragon Pond in Xingqing Palace is very cool.

Yang Yuhuan climbed to the attic near Chenxiang Pavilion and could see that a new playground was being built next to Longchi, which was almost completed.

It was the second secret room designed by Yang Guozhong for the saint. It was decorated according to the story of Zhiguai. During the Yongjia Rebellion, a woman named Peng E fled into the mountains to avoid the rebels. She saw many ghosts and monsters, which made her The saint can go looking for Peng E.

Li Longji was looking forward to this matter, but Yang Yuhuan was not. He felt that what Yang Guozhong made was more like offering beautiful women to saints. For her, the playable things were far inferior to what Xue Bai originally arranged.

Speaking of Xue Bai, it has been a month since he returned to Chang'an, but he has not come to see her. The two only met from a distance at the top of Zhuque Gate.

Just as I was thinking of him, Zhang Yunrong came back and came to Yang Yuhuan to report.

"Your Majesty, the saint will come later. He is still in the Qinzheng Building. When the slave passed by, the saint was dealing with the memorial to impeach Xue Lang."

"Has he committed another crime? He's only been back a few days." Yang Yuhuan seemed amused, "Who is impeaching him again?"

"It is said that a man named Yang Qixuan was jealous of Xue Bai and filed a complaint. But Zhang Bianzheng supported Yang Qixuan in front of the saint and said that Xue Bai was wrong."

"Huh?" Yang Yuhuan was still smiling and asked leisurely: "Didn't you say that Xue Bai is Zhang Bian's illegitimate son?"

She didn't know what was going on, and it was difficult for her to intervene in state affairs, and she didn't know how to help. But Xue Bai must be able to explain clearly as long as he can face the saint.

"That's not true. I am going to accompany the saint and the noble concubine to visit the newly built secret room in the palace. This is a novelty that you came up with first. The saint intends for you to comment on Yang Guozhong's decoration."

"Concubine, please don't be joking. This is a serious crime of rebellion."

"Long time no see."

When Xue Bai heard this, he was not too surprised. Instead, he frowned slightly.

However, it was not a handyman who came, but a figure wearing a skirt and a beautiful young lady who came through the door.

Zhang Yunrong shook his head and said, "I haven't seen Xue Lang yet."

Xie Aman waited for a while, but when he saw that Xue Bai didn't respond, he waved his hand in front of him and said, "You understand the order."

In the past, he had been trying his best to get rid of the label of "an official". Before he became an official, there were still some just and capable people in the court who could make a sound from time to time. Since then, he has tried his best not to accompany Li Longji on outings, in order to gain the support of these people more easily.

Xue Bai thought about it and asked, "Can I take someone with me?"

Xie Aman was stunned and asked: "Who should I take?"

The following is an order for each military town to gather troops to defend against Tubo, and the distribution of troops in several military towns is written. There are nearly 40,000 people in Longyou, divided into Lintao, Heyuan, Anren, Baishui, Jishi, Momen Army, etc. Legion; there are 26,000 people in Hexi, divided into Chishui, Yumen, Doulu and other legions...

On this day, he was looking through past edicts in the government office and found a copy of the "Ming Bei Tubo System" from the early years, which was very interesting.

"whispering sound."

"Isn't Miss Xie here to bring a message?"

"I'm married." Xie Aman suddenly said.

Xue Bai was stunned and smiled: "Congratulations."

Diao Geng felt that he had never seen more beauties around Xue Bai in his life. He was amazed and at the same time not surprised. He muttered to Diao Bing in a low voice: "How can I let a young lady get into trouble when I am in the Imperial City under the Shumen? "

Xue Baizheng was fascinated by what he saw, thinking that it was no wonder that Zhongshu Sheren was the prime minister. The Diao brothers were reading in the front hall of the official house, drowsy and yawning all the time.

"Do not talk."

The general method had been thought out, but he found that it was very difficult to implement because he couldn't get around those few people who stood at the pinnacle of power. In Chang'an, you deal with people, but it is not as good as in local areas and border towns, where you encounter specific things.

Then what's the point of resolutely rejecting being an accomplice?

~~

Zhongshu Menxiasheng.

From her point of view, the crime of treason does not matter. What she fears is losing the trust of the saint. The goodwill Xue Bai had accumulated in the past when he ate, drank and had fun with the saint had been almost exhausted in the past few years by his outspoken remonstrances.

"The salary is still not as good as Miss Xie."

Xie Aman was indeed rich and did not refute. He finally got down to business and said, "I'm here to deliver a message and ask you to go to Xingqing Palace tomorrow evening. This is to deliver a message, not an edict."

Yang Yuhuan was sitting lazily, but he straightened up after hearing this and treated it carefully.

Behind the screen, Xue Bai also raised his head and saw Xie Aman walking slowly with his hands behind his back, sizing up this official man as he walked.

In the first few sentences, you can feel Li Longji's anger towards Tubo - "Only Tubo is a clown, selfless and virtuous, invading Yi's territory, robbing border gangsters, and never forgets to learn from this."

Xue Baicai was impeached just after he was moved to Zhongshushe, which made it difficult for him to take office. His colleagues only thought that he would be demoted soon and were unwilling to assign errands to him.

The errands of Zhongshu Sheren are to issue imperial edicts and seals to record orders. Being able to see the latest decrees of the imperial court and master the secrets is equivalent to having a huge amount of power. Xue Bai wanted this power very much, but he was not in a hurry. What he wanted to do now was to protect Li Xiu and fight back against Yang Qixuan's impeachment.

"Then you have to agree."

"How did Xue Bai defend himself?"

In the quiet and peaceful atmosphere, the sound of soft footsteps suddenly came from the corridor.

After thinking like this, he turned his head again and saw the playground being built by the Longchi. Yang Yuhuan's bright eyes flashed with light.

"Congratulations on your head, I lied to you." Xie Aman said: "On the contrary, I should congratulate you for getting your wish and becoming a fifth-grade high-ranking official."

"Li Linfu's seventeenth daughter, a disciple of Princess Yuzhen, took the opportunity."

As a result, in the past two years, the trend seemed to have changed. People gradually no longer felt ashamed of being a minister, but instead took pride in clinging to power and nobles. This trend was especially obvious after Yang Guozhong became prime minister.

"Royal banquet?"

"It's time to serve the meal." Diao Geng stretched his waist. In this official house, only the handyman serving the meal would come over sometimes.

"So, the rumors in the capital that you are jealous of others are actually true?"

Xue Bai said: "Tengkongzi can be regarded as a distant relative of the clan. In previous years, she was also present at the royal banquet as a family member. I believe that the saint has a broad mind and will not embarrass her. As for Li Linfu's rebellion, the case has been finalized. Dead people cannot defend themselves, but saints may be able to listen. Listen to what the Li family has to say."

Xie Aman was surprised and said: "You are too bold. You dare to bargain with the saint. Are you really not afraid of being punished? Don't forget that the memorial to impeach you is still so thick."

"I beg you, my dear lady, to convey this request for me."

"You are so polite to me." Xie Aman criticized Xue Bai in a praising tone, "Just wait, I will ask for you. But don't put too much hope in such a trivial matter... …”

~~

The next day, it was almost dusk.

Xue Bai went to the guest room to pick up Li Tengkong and entered the palace together, only to see her put on the Taoist robe again.

"Is your illness getting better?" Xue Bai asked, worried that her body would not be able to support this trip.

"Don't worry, I have good medical skills, it's nothing serious."

"Don't worry, I heard that doctors can't heal themselves."

"Only those with heart disease can't be cured by themselves." Li Tengkong said plainly. After that, she glanced at Xue Bai and added in a low voice, "You can cure heart disease."

The sound was like a mosquito moaning, but Xue Bai still heard it, took her hand and walked out.

"Entering the palace this time is an opportunity. When the news spreads, the officials will doubt whether anyone in your family has obtained the favor of the saint again. They will be wary of attacking your family again. In addition, we can also intercede with the saint. Have you thought about your words?"

"You said it was framed by Yang Guozhong or An Lushan?"

"No, the saint doesn't like to hear this." Xue Bai said, "What we can do is plead for mercy, not explain. When asking for mercy, you should first show how valuable the Li family is. You should say that your grandfather is doing it for the saint, but he hasn't yet Finished things..."

While talking, the two of them left Xue's house.

Li Tengkong couldn't help but look back, feeling a little uneasy.

Xue Bai actually saw what she was thinking, and said as if chatting: "You have been to the imperial banquet, so you shouldn't be too nervous. Yan Yan is playful and doesn't like the accompanying scene. I will set up a secret later. Room, would you like to play with her?"

"it is good."

Only then did Li Tengkong feel more at ease.

But as Xingqing Palace got closer and closer, she remembered that she was now the daughter of a rebellious minister, and her uneasiness resurfaced.

~~

When the evening drum first sounded, Yang Yuhuan had already changed into a polo uniform.

Not to play polo, but to prepare to enter the new secret room. According to Yang Guozhong, there were many ghosts and ghosts inside, which were very scary, so she changed into light clothes so that she could run away.

In fact, she has a piece of clothing presented by Xue Bai. It is light and beautiful, but it is too novel. The top and trousers are separated. It is not suitable to wear it in front of everyone and be pointed at.

Because it was a bit hot today, she had a slight sheen of sweat on her body after changing her clothes.

Yang Yuhuan was very satisfied with everything about herself, except that she was very annoyed by her tendency to sweat. Even though she soaked her sweat with musk every day to make it smell fragrant, she still hated the feeling of sweat.

"It will get hotter in a few days. It would be nice to go to Lishan Mountain and take a bath from time to time." She whispered to herself.

Zhang Yunrong, who was waiting at the side, smiled and said: "Where does the noble concubine want to go? Can't she just tell the saint?"

"That's right. It's troublesome to work all the people. You need someone to prepare some water, and I will take a bath at night."

While they were talking, a young eunuch came to convey the order, saying that he could follow the saint to Longchi.

This showed that all the courtiers who came to accompany the driver were already waiting for him. Yang Yuhuan couldn't help but wonder, did Xue Bai really bring Li Tengkong?

Because it was neither an imperial banquet nor a government affair, Li Longji did not show off as the emperor tonight. He wore a robe, which did not conceal the majesty of the emperor, but highlighted his romantic temperament.

He was very interested. When he arrived at Longchi, the first thing he said when he saw Yang Guozhong was, "If Yang Qing is able to do his job, please give me a glass of wine first."

"Thank you, saint." Yang Guozhong smiled brightly, took the drink brought by Gao Lishi with both hands, and said, "I am also a little nervous. It is my first time to arrange this scene. I may not do a good job and even scare the saint."

"If you can't scare me, the scarier the better." Li Longji laughed loudly and said: "You can even arrange the troops and horses for the battle of Nanzhao. How can you not manage this little game? Go boldly Do."

"I accept the decree." Yang Guozhong said, "I will prepare now."

After that, he was about to retreat, but glanced at Xue Bai. The post of You Yeshi that Xue Bai held concurrently at that time is now one of his part-time jobs. It is a lucrative job to win the Holy Heart and make money. He was afraid that Xue Bai would snatch him back, so he worked hard to do a good job tonight.

Xue Bai was still not interested in You Yeshi, and was more concerned about Li Tengkong's condition.

Princess Xianyi was also here today. She saw Li Tengkong, her former close friend, but she acted as if she didn't know him. She obviously didn't want to be implicated. She even asked Gao Lishi, "How can the daughter of a rebellious minister be qualified to visit the palace?"

Over there, Li Longji chatted with Yang Guozhong and saw Xue Bai, saying, "I ask you, have you committed the crime of deceiving the emperor?"

This question is very broad. It may be asking whether Xue Bai took off Li Linfu's purple and gold court clothes, or whether Xue Bai was an accomplice in the rebellion. Actually, Xue Bai was really treasonous... Yang Qixuan made a mistake, and he was really impeached.

"I don't." Xue Bai responded, "I think that Yang Qixuan committed the crime of deceiving the emperor and framed him."

He was certain that Li Longji would not exhume Li Linfu's body again for confirmation. It's really not worth ruining the emperor's reputation because of a small case. This determination made him look very sincere and magnanimous. Li Longji squinted his eyes and couldn't see any flaws in Xue Bai's eyes.

"In that case, you come too, and I allow you to take Li Qiniang with you."

"According to the decree." Xue Bai said: "Sage, the reason why I got involved in Li Linfu's case was not only because of Li Qiniang. It was also because I discovered that Li Xiu was of great use to the country..."

Li Longji interrupted him and said, "I'm not calling you here tonight to make trouble."

Xue Bai still dared to speak and said: "I am impeached. If this matter is not explained clearly, I will not dare to follow the saint in, lest I be slandered even more."

"Shu Zi, you dare to make demands of me." Li Longji scolded and said, "If you can get through Yang Qing's secret room tonight, I will listen to your explanation."

"I will try my best."

Xue Bai then took Li Tengkong and followed the team towards the large building beside Longchi.

The last time Xue Bai presented his secret room to Li Longji, Li Linfu was still alive and sitting at the head of the royal banquet. At that time, Li Longji at least had one rule: the prime minister was not an official, so he did not have to play with him.

Now that Li Linfu died, was convicted, and moved his coffin, it did not affect Li Longji's fun at all, and he did not even ask Li Tengkong for an explanation.

Li Tengkong was a little surprised by this. Many of the prepared remarks could not be used, which made him worried.

"Did the saint ask me to go into the secret room with you without asking me a question?" "Yes." Xue Bai nodded and whispered: "It shows that he understands in his heart that your grandfather has nothing to do with Li Xianzhong's rebellion."

“Then why do saints still condemn people?”

"Let the world's anger be vented," Xue Bai said.

Li Tengkong felt sad when he heard this.

Xue Bai felt that this was a good thing. If Li Longji wanted to pursue Li Linfu because he wanted to deal with the public, then he would have a better chance of interceding for Li Xiu and others.

Of course, what Li Longji thinks specifically remains to be seen.

……

This time the scene was huge and there were many people involved.

In addition to Li Longji, Gao Lishi, Chen Xuanli, and Yang Yuhuan, there are also several princesses such as Princess Xianyi and his wife, and Princess Ningqin and his wife.

They walked into the secret room, and the door behind them slowly closed, and their eyes were filled with darkness.

Xue Bai had only been responsible for scheduling before, but this was the first time he participated in the secret room arranged by Yang Guozhong to see how good he was at work.

There were sounds of horses neighing and yelling in the darkness, and then a deep voice spoke.

"In the Jinyongjia Rebellion, the counties and counties had no definite masters, and the strong and the weak were at war with each other."

The narration faded away, and there was a violent knocking sound at the door, as if countless thieves were chasing their group.

It has to be said that Yang Guozhong's momentum was very good, causing Chen Xuanli to press the handle of the knife and frequently look back at the door, worried that Yang Guozhong might conspire against him.

Chen Xuanli even felt that saints should no longer play with such dangerous things.

A light suddenly appeared in front of them. When everyone came closer and took a look, they were surprised.

Yang Guozhong actually moved a mountain. Two huge rockery stones stood there, leaving only a narrow passage in the middle. The light comes from the front of the passage.

"This Yang Guozhong really has some tricks up his sleeve."

Li Longji sighed with emotion and walked into the passage. Upon seeing this, Chen Xuanli quickly led people to block the front, allowing the saint to walk in the middle of the team.

Xue Bai guessed that Yang Guozhong just couldn't come up with too many good ideas. To create a shock without scaring Li Longji, he probably wanted to drag away the last person quietly.

So, when he saw Princess Xianyi and Yang Wei preparing to follow, he immediately took Li Tengkong to take the lead.

"What did you do?" Princess Xianyi asked dissatisfied.

Xue Bai didn't say anything, he just looked at Yang Hui, raised his hand, and asked silently: "Do you want me to tell you about having an outside wife?"

Yang Hui quickly understood this meaning and quickly comforted Princess Xianyi. He received several scoldings for this. Fortunately, he didn't care how far he could go in this secret room.

Everyone continued to move forward.

Princess Xianyi was walking in front of Yang Hui, and suddenly she felt someone pat her shoulder. When he turned around, he saw that Yang Hui was still there, but with a dull look on his face.

"What did you do again?"

"What?" Yang Hui didn't know why.

So, she looked up and saw a long-tongued ghost crawling silently above the stone wall. It was it that reached out to pat herself.

"what."

But Li Tengkong turned his head to look, was startled, and shrank into Xue Bai's arms.

"What are you afraid of?" Princess Xianyi stared at the long-tongued ghost and shouted loudly: "At first glance, it's just pretending. It's not scary at all."

The long-tongued ghost still tried its best to put on a scary posture, and made a terrifying sound from its mouth, trying to snatch people away and devour them.

"very noisy."

Princess Xianyi stretched out her hand and pulled off its tongue. It was smooth and greasy in her hand. It turned out to be several pieces of duck intestines.

As a result, the actor pretending to be a ghost was immediately embarrassed.

Although he often sang in the palace in the past, he really lacked experience in pretending to be a ghost. When he encountered such a arrogant person, he really didn't know what to do.

In front, Li Longji turned his head and looked at this scene. Although he still laughed twice, his interest seemed to have been greatly reduced.

The terrifying atmosphere that Yang Guozhong painstakingly created seems to have been completely destroyed from the beginning.

It's not as good as the last "Youxian Cave", which is the subject matter that Yang Guozhong is really good at.

Many people saw Xue Bai holding Li Tengkong in his arms. Among them, Gao Lishi shook his head and thought it was inappropriate for them to hug each other in front of the emperor.

"Still hugging?"

Princess Xianyi snorted coldly and sneered: "People like you who pretend to be delicate are the most annoying. Get out of the way!"

She took a step forward, pushed Xue Bai against the stone wall, grabbed the front, turned to Yang Hui and scolded: "Come here! Don't you understand? If you walk at the end, you will definitely be captured..."

~~

Across the wall, Yang Guozhong's ears were echoing with the words "You will definitely be caught if you are the last to go", and his face gradually became ugly.

"Right Prime Minister, are you still catching me?"

"You shouldn't use ghosts and monsters." Yang Guozhong murmured, and said angrily to himself: "The idea of ​​"Fox Girl" is obviously better, I have to find novelty for the saint."

"Right Prime Minister, do you still want to arrest me?"

"Capture." Yang Guozhong said bravely, "Capture Princess Xianyi. I will plead guilty to her face to face."

He had imagined that if there was no Princess Xianyi, the situation might be salvageable.

However, a eunuch said: "The right prime minister has captured Xue Bai."

"what?"

Yang Guozhong was stunned, turned around and saw Xue Bai and Li Tengkong coming over holding hands.

"Why are you guys?"

"I was eliminated." Xue Bai said.

Yang Guozhong said: "But just now it became clear that you were not the last one."

Xue Bai spread his hands and smiled without saying a word.

This is a two-story attic. Standing here, you can see the people below from above.

At this time, there was another shout. Yang Guozhong thought that someone was scared by him. He rushed to the small window and saw Princess Xianyi holding a fork and chasing several ghosts.

The saint stood there, looking a little bored.

Xue Bai also came over and looked at it, and said, "It's not a big deal if you fail to complete a game, but it's not good if the saint thinks you are incompetent, brother."

Yang Guozhong hadn't heard Xue Bai call "brother" for a long time. He hesitated slightly and said with a smile: "Abai, can you teach me something?"

"Brother, how is this secret room arranged?"

"It was arranged based on the story I hired someone to write, allowing the saint to feel the strange mountain ghosts..."

Yan Yan has also read this story, and even used it to beat Xue Bai. Therefore, Xue Bai also knew that the story was nothing more than the adventure of a woman named Peng E, and asked: "Is there anything in the story?" Peng E?"

"There is one here too." Yang Guozhong said: "I specially found a beauty and left it at the last moment, waiting for the saint to save her."

Xue Bai looked around and saw that Princess Xianyi had driven away all the ghosts in the first secret room. He shook his head and said, "This is a temporary change."

"How to change it?"

"Change Peng E." Xue Bai muttered: "Deliberately leaving a clue to the saint, saying that Peng E was hiding in his team and wanted to sacrifice them all to the mountain ghost. It is up to the saint to find out who Peng E is. .”

"You don't need the beauty I've hidden anymore?"

"Yes, now let the saint guess who is the bad guy in the team."

Yang Guozhong asked: "Then...who is Peng E?"

"Only if the saint can't guess it will he find it interesting." Xue Bai thought for a while and said, "Noble Concubine."

"Concubine?"

Yang Guozhong immediately shook his head and said: "If it were me, the first one would be the imperial concubine. Why not use Ning to kiss the princess? She is the most inconspicuous."

"No, only the imperial concubine can." Xue Bai said, "Even if the saint guesses it at first, I believe the imperial concubine can still hide it."

He needs a woman who is smart, playful, understands the thoughts of a saint, and is willing to cooperate. Yang Yuhuan is the best choice.

~~

The secret room seemed increasingly boring.

Until a kid caught by Princess Xianyi suddenly screamed.

"Peng E, save me, Peng E, save me. You made an agreement with the King of Hell and brought these people to sacrifice to the King of Hell..."

The sleepy Li Longji suddenly narrowed his eyes, glanced at the people around him, and said, "Is Peng E in this team?"

He first looked at Yang Yuhuan.

Yang Yuhuan had just cheered up, his eyes looked innocent, he shook his head and said, "I'm not a concubine."

Li Longji still had doubts in his heart and asked the kid: "Is Peng E a boy or a girl? Is Li Qiniang Peng E?"

He has already entered a state of play.

And this is actually his best game, guessing who is the betrayer around him.

He's been playing this game for most of his life and he's never wrong.

"..."

Xue Bai stood on the attic and watched, and saw that the people below gradually began to explore. After another scene, they were separated.

He thought for a while, then quietly went down to the attic and walked into the dark secret room.

"Sister."

Yang Yuhuan was looking around, looking for clues with great interest. When he turned around and saw Xue Bai, he said happily: "You are resurrected? Do you know who Peng E is?"

"Sister, how about you being Peng'e?"

Yang Yuhuan was stunned and did not answer immediately.

She was playful and excited, a little eager to try, wanting to see if she could hide it from everyone. But I am also a little worried that after playing tricks on the saint, the saint will have a grudge.

"Why do you want me to be the one? Didn't you make any arrangements in advance?"

"Because Yang Guozhong has no talent, but I plan to help him for the time being to prevent An Lushan from becoming too powerful."

Xue Bai didn't know whether he was talking about this secret room or the situation in the court.

He didn't have much time, so he added: "Here, Peng E is equivalent to the conspirator. It may be Li Xianzhong, it may be Li Linfu, it may be An Lushan, it may be me. But I want the saint to know that sometimes, His suspicions may not be correct.”

Since Li Longji has been guessing, let him guess enough.

(End of this chapter)