Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 722: Those who are good at water will drown in water
Those who left Chang'an naturally would not pay attention to the killings in the severe winter, as they yearned for spring.

Spring is the beginning of hope, a world full of vitality and everything in it. However, in the minds of these people, there will be no spring in Chang'an, and the future spring will be in Taiyuan!

In a blink of an eye, more than a month has passed and it is already the season when peach blossoms are in full bloom.

Around the Jin Temple in the northwest of Taiyuan City, pink and white petals fluttered in the wind and fell on the official road paved with bluestone slabs, as if covering this majestic city with a layer of veil.

The remnants of the Guanzhong court who had come all the way here were less than a hundred people. They surrounded the puppet emperor Li Wan and slowly walked to the west of Taiyuan City, next to the Jin Temple.

Their troops were in disarray, their flags were torn, and their servants' faces were filled with fatigue and a vague sense of fear.

However, in sharp contrast to this scene of decay were the brightly colored flags flying on the Taiyuan city walls and the Chishui Army soldiers lined up in neat rows in front of the city gates.

In the past few years, Li Baoyu has been resting and recuperating in Taiyuan, developing people's livelihood, and has not participated in the struggles among the various parties in the Central Plains. Therefore, Taiyuan Prefecture now has a strong army and sufficient food. It may not be as good as Bianzhou, but it is far better than Guanzhong!

Li Wan was sitting on a skinny and weak horse, wearing a slightly loose dragon robe, and his face was as pale as paper.

The bumpy ride almost knocked him half dead even though he usually lived a life of luxury. His eyes were empty and his hands tightly grasped the reins, his knuckles turning white from the force.

Behind Li Wan, Wei Jian rode a tall black horse, dressed neatly, but at this moment, his brows were furrowed, his eyes were sharp, and he glanced around from time to time, as if he was on guard against something.

Beside Wei Jian were several trusted guards, their hands always on the hilts of their swords, with alert expressions.

The gate of Taiyuan City slowly opened, and Li Baoyu, the governor of Hedong, personally led a group of generals out of the city to welcome them. He was dressed in a scarlet official robe, holding the seal in both hands, with a humble smile on his face, as if he was a loyal minister welcoming the arrival of the monarch.

Next to him stood his younger brother Li Baozhen, wearing black armor and a sword at his waist, but there was a hint of unfathomable depth in his eyes.

"Your Majesty, I am Li Baoyu, your humble servant, respectfully welcome! Please enter the Taiyuan Palace!" Li Baoyu personally handed the seal of Taiyuan Prefecture to Wei Jian, then knelt on one knee, speaking in a loud and respectful voice.

Seeing this, Li Wan's tense expression relaxed a little, and he forced a smile: "My dear, please stand up. Alas, I have been running all the way, and fortunately, Li Qing's family came to help me. Now I can finally take a break."

Wei Jian stepped forward, sizing up Li Baoyu with a stern gaze, and asked tentatively, "Marshal Li Jie, Your Majesty is coming to Taiyuan. I wonder if everything has been arranged in the city?"

Li Baoyu stood up, crossed his arms and bowed with a smile on his face, saying, "Please rest assured, Prime Minister Wei. I have prepared the best palace for your Majesty. Everything is ready. We are just waiting for your Majesty to enter the city."

Wei Jian nodded slightly, feeling relieved, but the vigilance in his eyes did not disappear. No matter what, he and Li Baoyu were not the same kind of people, not in the past, and not in the future!

He came to Taiyuan, and Li Baoyu was just to get what they wanted. Li Baoyu had always been suffering from the lack of righteousness, and he was not strong enough to speak. With the puppet emperor Li Wan, Li Baoyu had the righteousness of the court in his hands, and even if he faced Fang Qing, he would have the strength to fight!

Wei Jian looked back at the team behind him, walked up to Li Wan, and said in a barely audible voice: "Your Majesty, you must be more careful after entering the city. You cannot trust Li Baoyu completely."

Li Wan nodded helplessly and said, "I understand."

At this moment he felt as sick as if he had eaten a plate of green flies.

Wei Jian is a dog, Li Baoyu is also a dog, the two are biting each other. As a bystander, what else can he say?
Wei Jian's sister was Li Heng's legal wife, and Li Heng was Li Wan's brother, from the same father and mother. However, if you regard Wei Jian as your own family just because of this relationship, it would be too naive.

Li Heng's daughter Li Yi often goes to bed with Fang Qing. Now that they have a child, wouldn't their relationship be even closer?

Li Wan sneered in his heart, but his face showed a submissive attitude.

Li Baoyu stepped aside to make way, extended his hand and made a "please" gesture, and said to Li Wan respectfully: "Your Majesty, please enter the city."

Li Wan then mounted his horse and rode slowly forward. Wei Jian followed closely behind, his eyes never leaving Li Baoyu.

In front of the city gate, fully armed Chishui soldiers lined up on both sides, holding long spears and looking solemn. This scene had some of the atmosphere of the heyday of the Tang Dynasty.

This made Li Wan feel dazed for a moment, as if she had returned to the situation 20 years ago.

Li Wan's team slowly entered the city. The streets were crowded with onlookers. They were whispering, their eyes full of curiosity and anxiety.

The scene was more lively than expected. It can be seen from here that Li Baoyu had put a lot of thought into running Taiyuan Prefecture and had not done anything perverse. At least the relationship between the government and the people was not as tense as that of an enemy.

When the troops reached the parade ground in the city, which was also the inner city of Taiyuan (in the northwest corner), Li Baoyu suddenly stopped and turned to Li Wan and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report, and I must say it now."

Li Wan was startled, and subconsciously pulled the reins of his horse and asked, "What's the matter, Marshal Li Jie?"

It wasn't that he deliberately let his guard down, but from the moment they met, Li Baoyu acted unusually low-key and didn't look like a person who was keen on power at all.

The other party stopped to ask questions at this time, which made Li Wan have a bad feeling!
Li Baoyu smiled slightly, but his eyes suddenly became fierce. He pointed at Wei Jian and shouted, "Wei Jian disrupted the government and held Your Majesty hostage. His crime is unforgivable! Today, I will enforce justice on behalf of Heaven and remove the emperor's entourage! Come, arrest the criminal Wei Jian!"

Before he finished speaking, Li Baoyu's brother Li Baozhen suddenly drew his sword and stabbed Wei Jian as fast as lightning.

Wei Jian was horrified and dodged in panic, subconsciously reaching for his waist, only then did he realize that in order to maintain the etiquette of a prime minister, he had already handed his sword to his attendant.

Since Li Baoyu didn't wear a sword, how could he, the prime minister, wear a sword?
However, who could have thought that Li Baoyu would let Li Wan enter the city and then cause trouble?

He did not carry a sword, but his brother Li Baozhen was armed to the teeth!

This guy is such a good actor!

In a flash, many thoughts flashed through Wei Jian's mind. However, Li Baozhen had decades of military experience and his swordsmanship was extremely sharp. In just a few moves, he forced Wei Jian to retreat.

"Li Baoyu! How dare you! You, you dare to kill the king!" Wei Jian dodged and roared.

Li Baoyu sneered: "King-killing? I, Li Baoyu, am loyal to my country. Today I will only kill the treacherous villains and will not hurt Your Majesty! Come, protect Your Majesty!"

The soldiers in the square immediately surrounded Wei Jian and his followers. Amid the flashing of swords and the shadow of sabers, screams rang out one after another.

Wei Jian's confidants fought hard, but they were outnumbered and soon fell one after another. Seeing this, Wei Jian's eyes flashed with despair. He suddenly turned and rushed towards Li Wan, grabbed the reins of his warhorse, and shouted: "Your Majesty, go!"

If you want me to go, please loosen the rope!
Li Wan wanted to jump to Li Baoyu's side, but he had no choice but to pretend to be so scared that he collapsed on the horse's back, as if he could not move at all.

Li Baozhen took a quick step forward, flashed behind Wei Jian like a ghost, stabbed with his sword, and attacked Wei Jian's back.

Wei Jian was unable to dodge, and the blade pierced his back, and blood instantly dyed his robe red.

"what!"

Li Wan was so frightened that his face turned pale, his eyes were full of shock, and he accidentally fell off his horse.

This time he was not pretending. He didn't expect that Li Baoyu would really dare to kill someone!
This soldier is really brave!

Li Wan couldn't help but think of Li Baochen, and then he felt that Marshal Baochen was actually a good person. If Wei Jian hadn't committed suicide, they would never have been forced to flee to Taiyuan!

Wei Jian fell down slowly. He seemed very unwilling and had not expected that he would die so easily in Taiyuan.

Li Baochen, who had a deep hatred for him, had no chance to kill him, but Li Baoyu, who had "no grudges against him", wanted to kill him the first time they met.

Wei Jian had many questions in his mind but no one answered them. He probably didn't need any answers. He collapsed on the ground and raised his head with difficulty. His eyes were full of resentment and resentment. He struggled to raise one hand and pointed at Li Baoyu and cursed: "Li Baoyu, you traitor, you...you will not die well."

Li Baoyu crossed his arms, looked at Wei Jian's body coldly, and said calmly: "You are a traitor, you deserve to die. If you feel wronged, you can turn into a ghost and come to me to claim your life. I will take over!"

The square was dead silent, with only the sound of wind blowing through the peach blossoms. One pink and white petal after another fell to the ground.

Some fell on the bodies of Wei Jian and others.

Li Wan collapsed on the ground, trembling all over, tears streaming down her eyes.

It wasn’t because of Wei Jian, but because I was scared and cried.

Li Baoyu turned and walked towards Li Wan, knelt on one knee, clasped his fists and said: "I am guilty of capital punishment and have frightened Your Majesty. Now that the treacherous minister has been removed, please rest assured Your Majesty."

Li Wan nodded tremblingly and asked pleadingly: "Marshal Li Jie, I, what should I do now?"

This time he wasn't pretending, he was really scared.

Li Wan, who was already accustomed to the way the Tianlong people in Guanzhong played, found after arriving in Taiyuan that his past experience was completely useless.

The soldiers here are more straightforward in their work.

Li Baoyu stood up, put on a respectful smile again, and patiently explained: "Your Majesty, don't worry. I will arrange everything. Please follow me to the temporary palace to rest. There are eunuchs and palace maids in the temporary palace of Taiyuan Prefecture. Your Majesty does not need to worry about those trivial details."

Li Wan was helped onto a horse and escorted by Li Baoyu's personal soldiers to the palace in Taiyuan Prefecture. He sat on the horse with his eyes dull, like a body without a soul.

Li Baoyu followed behind him, and a hint of pride flashed across his eyes inadvertently.

The team soon arrived at the emperor's palace next to the Jiedufu Yamen. This place was not newly built, but was built as Ji Ge's "guest house" when he was still alive.

At that time, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty was rich and powerful, and Ji Ge didn't have to come to Taiyuan, but Taiyuan couldn't be without Ji Ge's palace. Now this relatively simple palace has become the residence of the puppet emperor Li Wan.

The palace had no main hall but only a main room. Li Wan was placed in a gorgeous bedroom.

He lay on the bed bored, his hands tightly clutching the corners of his clothes, his eyes empty, as if he had not yet recovered from the shock he had just experienced.

Or maybe he has been acting for so many years that he has become accustomed to it. He still looks frightened, and outsiders cannot tell what he is thinking.

Li Baoyu stood outside the door, glanced at him through the half-open door, and raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a sneer.

Then he turned and left, his footsteps as fast as the wind.

When he returned to the study in the Jiedufu Yamen, Li Baozhen had been waiting for a long time.

"Brother, this move is really brilliant." Li Baozhen smiled as soon as they met.

Li Baoyu turned around and said calmly: "In troubled times, one cannot accomplish anything without being ruthless. People like Li Baochen and Fang Qing are both ruthless."

Li Baozhen laughed and shook his head, saying, "Once Wei Jian dies, the Guanzhong court will no longer have a leader, and my brother can legitimately control the situation. As for Li Baochen and his ilk, I believe he went on a killing spree in Chang'an in the winter, and from then on, he will no longer be able to gain a foothold in Guanzhong. He is now nothing more to be feared than a pile of bones in a grave."

Li Baoyu nodded, his eyes revealing a hint of deep meaning: "However, Li Wan is a good puppet after all. Keeping him will still be useful. If he has any requests, try to meet them. Arrange ten young beauties to serve him tomorrow."

Li Baoyu smiled and said, without saying anything more.

As the spring breeze blew, peach petals drifted in the courtyard of the governor's office and fell in every corner of Taiyuan city.

This majestic city still stands, but the game for power within the city has just begun, and the clarion call for the fight for the world has just been sounded.

Li Baoyu stood on the corner tower of the mansion, looking at the western sky, a sneer on his lips.

The clouds in the sky change with the wind, sometimes turning into tigers and sometimes into dragons, just like the current situation in the world.

"The Tang Dynasty is, after all, the Tang Dynasty of the strong." Li Baoyu whispered to himself, his voice dissipated in the spring air with the wind.

……

It was already night in Kaifeng City, Bianzhou. In Fang Chongyong's bedroom, Wang Yunxiu was lying naked on the bed, her face flushed and she was breathing slightly.

Her expression was lazy but also full of satisfaction, with a hint of faint charm. She was truly beautiful.

Fang Chongyong was already getting dressed, preparing to go to the study to handle official business, unwilling to continue indulging in this gentle land.

Looking at his back, Wang Yunxiu suddenly sobbed without any warning.

"Just now you said you wanted to have fun, and now you're crying here again. What do you want?"

Fang Chongyong walked forward, handed over a handkerchief and wiped Wang Yunxiu's tears.

"I often wonder if finding a husband like you has used up all my luck in life."

Wang Yunxiu stroked Fang Zhongyong's big hand and murmured.

"Old couples don't need to say such things. What's there to cry about?"

Fang Chongyong asked doubtfully. He thought Wang Yunxiu was dissatisfied with the sex, but when he thought of her crazy and out-of-control appearance in bed just now, it didn't seem like that.

"My father's revenge has not yet been taken. I was so satisfied with my current life that I forgot about it for a moment.

I feel so ashamed when I think of this that I cry.”

Wang Yunxiu hugged Fang Zhongyong's arm and sighed helplessly.

The sex just now was so ecstatic that it was not that she was dissatisfied, she was so happy that she was exhausted.

It was only afterwards that I thought of Wang Zhongsi who committed suicide. If my father were still alive and I had the happy life I have now, I would have lived a life without regrets.

In fact, what Wang Yunxiu meant was: My husband is on the verge of becoming powerful, but he hasn't even avenged his father-in-law. How embarrassing is this?
"Don't worry, I've written all this down in a little notebook, and no one will be able to escape when the time comes."

Fang Zhongyong snorted coldly.

"I don't care what happens to the An family in Liangzhou, but Li Baoyu must die!"

There was a hint of murderous intent in Wang Yunxiu's eyes, and her nails dug into the back of Fang Chongyong's hand, penetrating into the skin.

(End of this chapter)