I, the military god of the Tang Dynasty, have risen since I destroyed the Turks

Chapter 754 Wei Xiaobao Surrenders

Outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City, the autumn wind swirled the fallen leaves. Li Kan stood with his sword in hand, and behind him were two rows of iron-clad imperial guards. The sunlight shone on their armor, reflecting a cold light.

"Everyone, stand up straight!" Li Kan shouted, his eyes sweeping across the group of people in different costumes in front of him, "When we meet His Majesty later, if anyone dares to be disrespectful, I will skin him alive!"

The crowd was in a commotion, and some people's legs were shaking. Among this group of people were heroes from the Jianghu, old men from the previous dynasty, and generals from the vassal states, but at this moment, they were all as terrified as lambs to be slaughtered.

Wei Xiaobao stood in the front of the crowd, his eyes rolling around, a smile on his face, but his mind was constantly calculating. Behind him followed Shuang'er and Zeng Rou, the two girls lowered their eyebrows and looked obedient, but they were always alert to the movements around them.

"Master Wei, we really have to..." A brother from the Qingmu Hall of the Tiandihui came over and whispered, but before he could finish his words, he was stopped by Wei Xiaobao's eyes.

"Shut up!" Wei Xiaobao lowered his voice, "Didn't you see Li Kan's murderous eyes? If you want to live, watch your mouth!"

The man immediately fell silent. Wei Xiaobao sighed inwardly. Of the ten great leaders of the Tiandihui, only he and Feng Jizhong dared to show up. The others were either killed by Li Kan or disappeared without a trace. Thinking of Li Kan's bloody hands, Wei Xiaobao felt a chill on the back of his neck.

"Ahem—" A violent cough came from behind. Wei Xiaobao turned around and saw Shang Kexi, the Prince of Pingnan, supported by two guards. His old face was red, and it was obvious that the long journey to Beijing had cost him half his life.

"Your Highness, take care." Wei Xiaobao went over hypocritically and gave him a hand.

Shang Kexi raised his cloudy eyes and saw that it was Wei Xiaobao. The corners of his mouth twitched: "Master Wei is very cunning." The irony in his words was obvious. Everyone knew that Wei Xiaobao was a famous fence-sitter, and now he had climbed up to a new master.

Wei Xiaobao did not take it as an offense, but smiled and whispered: "Your Majesty, a man who knows the current situation is a hero. At your age, why do you have to go against the new dynasty?"

Shang Kexi's face turned pale and blue, and he was about to retort when the door of the Hall of Supreme Harmony suddenly creaked open and a eunuch shouted in a shrill voice, "Call in representatives of all parties to the palace for an audience!"

The crowd suddenly quieted down, even Shang Kexi's cough was suppressed. Li Kan snorted coldly, turned around and led the way, and everyone followed tremblingly.

Wei Xiaobao straightened his clothes and suddenly noticed a bright color in the crowd. He looked closely and found a stunning woman, wearing plain clothes, without any makeup but bright and beautiful, walking like a willow in the wind, it was the world-famous Chen Yuanyuan.

"My goodness, why is this woman here?" Wei Xiaobao was secretly shocked. Wasn't Chen Yuanyuan Wu Sangui's favorite concubine? Wu Sangui had just been defeated by Li Zheng, so why did she appear here?
Before they could think about it, they had already entered the main hall. The candlelight in the Hall of Supreme Harmony was bright, and Li Zheng sat high on the dragon throne, wearing a black dragon robe, looking majestic without even getting angry. On both sides, civil and military officials stood in awe, and the atmosphere was so solemn that it was hard to breathe.

Wei Xiaobao stole a glance and saw that Li Zheng had a stern face and eyes like lightning. Compared with the last time they met, he looked more majestic than an emperor. He was startled and quickly lowered his head.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Wei Xiaobao reacted the fastest. He fell to his knees with a plop, his forehead pressed against the ground. His voice was so loud that the entire hall could hear it.

The others were a little slower, and they also knelt down, shouting in unison, "Your Majesty!" Shang Kexi was helped to kneel down by the guards, and his knee made a "crack" sound, which made him grimace in pain.

Li Zheng's eyes slowly swept over the crowd, and when he saw Chen Yuanyuan, he paused for a moment, then looked away. He raised his hand to signal everyone to stand up, and his voice was calm but unquestionable: "You all came from afar, thank you for your hard work."

Wei Xiaobao stood up with a smile on his face: "It is our blessing to serve Your Majesty!" He caught a glimpse of Li Kan standing beside Li Zheng with his hand on the hilt of the knife, and he couldn't help swallowing.

Li Zheng nodded slightly, his eyes falling on Shang Kexi: "The Prince of Pingnan is old and tired from the long journey. I am very worried."

Shang Kexi trembled and quickly knelt down again: "Old minister, old minister"

"No need to be so polite." Li Zheng raised his hand to stop him. "The Prince of Pingnan has guarded Lingnan for many years and has made great contributions. I would like to invite the prince to spend his remaining years in Beijing. What do you think?"

The hall was completely silent. Everyone could tell that this was a plan to reduce the power of the feudal lords. Shang Kexi's face turned pale, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He knew that if he dared to say "no", he would not be able to leave the Hall of Supreme Harmony. "Your Majesty, I am an old minister," Shang Kexi said in a trembling voice, "Thank you for your consideration! I am willing to hand over my military power and retire in Beijing."

Li Zheng nodded with satisfaction: "Good. I have ordered people to prepare a house, and Your Majesty can live there with peace of mind."

Wei Xiaobao watched this clearly from the side, and his heart was beating fast. This Li Zheng was very clever, he took away Shang Kexi's military power without any soldiers, and he also did a good job on the surface. He secretly thanked himself for kneeling quickly.

"Wei Xiaobao." Li Zheng suddenly called his name, and Wei Xiaobao shuddered all over.

"I'm here!" Wei Xiaobao hurriedly took a step forward and almost tripped over the hem of his clothes.

A hint of amusement flashed in Li Zheng's eyes: "I heard that you are the incense master of Qingmu Hall of Tiandihui and the White Dragon Envoy of Shenlong Sect. Is this true?"

Wei Xiaobao's forehead was sweating, and he cursed the informer's ancestors in his heart. He laughed dryly and said, "Your Majesty, I am wise. Those were just temporary measures."

"Oh?" Li Zheng raised his eyebrows, "So which side do you represent to see me now?"

Wei Xiaobao's eyes rolled, and he knelt down again: "I represent myself! From now on, I will only be loyal to Your Majesty! Whether it's the Tiandihui or the Shenlong Sect, they are not as good as one finger of Your Majesty!"

Someone in the hall sneered in disdain, but Wei Xiaobao turned a deaf ear to it and kept the fawning smile on his face unchanged.

Li Zheng seemed amused by his shamelessness, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly: "Get up. I have heard that you are very resourceful. After seeing you today, I find that you are indeed worthy of your reputation."

Wei Xiaobao got up quickly as if he had been pardoned, and did not forget to flatter the emperor: "Your Majesty is wise! Your Majesty has a keen eye!"

"Where are the people from the Shenlong Sect?" Li Zheng suddenly asked.

A tall and thin man with a sinister face walked out of the crowd. It was Xu Xueting, the Azure Dragon Envoy of the Shenlong Sect. He knelt down and saluted: "Xu Xueting, the Azure Dragon Envoy of the Shenlong Sect, pays respect to Your Majesty."

"Where is Hong Antong?" Li Zheng directly called out the name of the leader of the Shenlong Sect.

Xu Xueting's forehead was covered with sweat. "The leader is ill and unable to come, so he ordered me to apologize to His Majesty on his behalf."

"Are you ill?" Li Zheng sneered, "Are you afraid that I will chop off his head?"

Xu Xueting shuddered and dared not answer. The Shenlong Sect had been prepared to join Wu Sangui, but Wu Sangui was defeated so quickly that they had to change their allegiance temporarily.

Li Zheng no longer paid attention to Xu Xueting, and turned his gaze to Chen Yuanyuan who had been standing quietly beside him: "Mrs. Chen, how are you?"

Chen Yuanyuan bowed gracefully, her voice as clear as a spring: "I am here to see Your Majesty. I am grateful for your inquiry, and I am doing well."

Everyone in the hall turned their eyes to this legendary beauty. Even in such an occasion, Chen Yuanyuan remained calm and elegant, neither humble nor overbearing, in stark contrast to the panic of the people around her.

(End of this chapter)