The Bad Guys: Everyone, let’s revive the Tang Dynasty together!

Chapter 316: Empress (Continued)

Xiao Yan was slightly stunned. He didn't expect the empress to be so polite, so he didn't say anything for a moment. He thought that the world is a cruel thing. He sighed in his heart and walked forward to help the latter up.

"Your Majesty, there is no need to be so polite. There is no prince at the moment, only Xiao Yan."

The empress was actually a little uncomfortable. Except when she was a child, she had not shown her female body in front of a man for many years. Even in the past six months, because of the rift between her and Li Maozhen, she was annoyed and had been meeting him as a man to express her dissatisfaction.

The empress decided not to wear men's clothes today after careful consideration.

Xiao Yan already knew about the changes in Qi State, so it is impossible for him not to know that the King of Qi was actually the Empress. No matter what, the Empress had no reason to hide this truth from Xiao Yan. It was not only to show her sincerity, but also to allow Xiao Yan to make the right decision.

Whether in terms of legal principles or secular concepts, Li Maozhen's ruling power over Qi State is superior to that of the empress. If Xiao Yan mistakenly believes that the empress's identity as King of Qi can overwhelm Li Maozhen, then Xiao Yan may make a wrong judgment.

Of course, this was the Empress's idea. She naturally didn't know that Xiao Yan had already known this secret, even earlier than anyone else.

Xiao Yan pretended to invite the empress to chat at a small table beside the fish pond. Tea sets had already been placed on the table. The tea was not good, more like mountain tea, but the aroma was very tempting, and Xiao Yan fell in love with it after just one sip.

The empress followed Xiao Yan, thinking about what to say in the conversation later, but she saw the fishing rod suddenly shake.

Xiao Yan also noticed that a fish had taken the bait, so he smiled and went over to pull it up. The fish was not big, only the size of a palm, but Xiao Yan smiled and said, "I have been fishing for an hour but no fish has taken the bait. The Empress has brought me good luck."

The empress smiled, and the tension in her heart relaxed a little. She also joked, "In the past, you wrote a poem for me based on the story of Lü Shang, and I also made an appointment with you at Diaoyutai. It seems that fishing is something you are meant to do."

Xiao Yan smiled and shook his head, casually threw the fish back into the pond, sat down at the table, and said, "Don't be too polite, Queen. I regarded you as the King of Qi at the beginning, and I still regard you as the King of Qi now. There is no need to be too polite when we are friends. Tell me, what are the things in Qi that I can intervene in now?"

Xiao Yan thought for a moment, then stared into the empress's eyes and said, "Of course, the empress might as well tell me what happened in Fengxiang before that."

The empress pondered for a moment. She had not thought of hiding it from Xiao Yan, but she did need to let Xiao Yan know more details.

The Empress no longer referred to herself as "concubine", but used "I" to talk to Xiao Yan, saying: "It was not my intention to deceive you by pretending to be the King of Qi. In recent years, Zhu Liang has gradually become more powerful and ambitious. I cannot let Qi suffer any loss, so I have never let outsiders know that Qi only has an Empress but no King of Qi."

She paused, and then thought that Xiao Yan might not know the inside story, so she first roughly told him the secret of Li Maozhen's trip to Twelve Caves, and then continued: "After my brother left Qi Country, Qi Country has been in my hands for these years and has never made much progress. It is because I have always remembered what my brother told me to guard Qi Country when he left, and I don't want to hand over a ruined Qi Country to him when he returns."

"After my brother returned to Fengxiang half a year ago, I did not think much about it and started to let him get involved in the political affairs of Qi State again, and then planned to slowly return the status of King of Qi to him..."

At this point, the empress felt a little uncomfortable. She turned the teacup with her hand, staring at the swaying tea with her phoenix eyes, and said, "Because I didn't tell you the truth before, I didn't think of informing you before and after returning the identity of King Qi to you. I just wanted to introduce you to you later. Unexpectedly, this step went wrong."

Afterwards, the empress recounted the story as briefly as possible about how Li Maozhen had just managed to hide it from the Qi Wang Mansion and other attendants, and suddenly put her under house arrest during lunch one day.

Because the process was so short, it was only three or five days since Li Maozhen started to deal with the affairs of Qi State, and Huanyinfang did not have time to react too much. Li Maozhen had used means to seal the empress's internal force in advance, and immediately controlled the holy maidens such as Fanyintian. With his strength, Fanyintian and others had almost no ability to fight back. After controlling the empress and others, the other people in Huanyinfang were controlled by Li Maozhen without their knowledge.

It is worth mentioning that Li Maozhen did not act alone. There were some people dressed as bad guys cooperating with him. However, Li Maozhen was arrogant and did not allow those bad guys to interfere.

After the empress said this, she felt very ashamed. She trusted Li Maozhen too easily, which made the coup successful without much effort on his part. This was undoubtedly a huge trouble for Xiao Yan.

After all, once the cooperation between the two was suddenly and unilaterally terminated by Li Maozhen, the losses and troubles brought to Anle Pavilion were immeasurable. At that time, Xiao Yan was not in charge of Anle Pavilion, and they were unaware of the sudden changes in Qi Country, which caused the secret agents jointly set up by Huanyinfang and Anle Pavilion in various places to be paralyzed to varying degrees.

Because of the empress's mistake, a huge betrayal occurred to Xiao Yan and the forces behind him. It was impossible for the empress not to feel guilty, especially since Xiao Yan was willing to take the risk to come to Fengxiang to meet her in person, which made the empress feel even more guilty after the surprise.

Xiao Yan listened calmly, turning the teacup in his hand, thinking slightly.

Yuan Tiangang was very wary of him. It seemed that after Yang Shuzi broke the balance between him and Yuan Tiangang, Yuan Tiangang immediately ordered people to recall Li Maozhen to prevent Qi State from leaning towards Xiao Yan. He even did not hesitate to use the bad guys to cooperate with Li Maozhen, who had no roots in Qi State.

This matter cannot be blamed on the empress. She does not have a God's perspective and it is impossible for her to know that Li Maozhen came back specifically to cut off the connection between Qi State and Xiao Yan.

Yuan Tiangang was watching the overall situation. Even if Yang Shuzi unexpectedly poked a hole in his way, he would fill it up immediately. The terrifying thing about Yuan Tiangang was that he had been planning for the world for nearly a hundred years. Xiao Yan would inevitably be restricted everywhere, and the empress could not escape this circle.

"Your brother took the lead and set a trap for his relatives. Naturally, it is unavoidable. Now that things have come to this, the Empress does not need to feel too guilty."

Xiao Yan waved his hand and smiled: "As for the sealed internal force... The empress's martial arts are unrivaled in Longyou. She has become famous over the years. She is not much inferior to Jin Wang Li Keyong. Your brother can't be careless. If I had a choice, I might also use some despicable means before fighting against the empress."

The empress couldn't help but laugh. She had been secretly heartbroken for nearly half a year because her inner strength was silently sealed by Li Maozhen, but Xiao Yan still had the mind to make a joke.

She was worried about this, so she frowned and wanted to speak, but she saw Xiao Yan stretched out his hand and said, "I know a little bit about medicine. If the Empress trusts me, can you let me take your pulse?"

The empress subconsciously wanted to refuse. For many years, she never allowed men to touch her actively. It had become a habit. She was also proficient in medicine, but she couldn't determine the cause no matter how she diagnosed herself in the past six months. It didn't mean that Xiao Yan had a solution.

However, looking at Xiao Yan's calm eyes and thinking of Xiao Yan's good intentions, an unknown emotion in her heart suddenly started playing tricks on her, and the empress inexplicably reached out her hand. The white wrist had a delicate feeling, and Xiao Yan couldn't help but tighten his fingers when he placed them on it.

The Empress' inexplicably accelerated heartbeat naturally could not be hidden from Xiao Yan. He found it somewhat funny and did not think that he was the man who had taken the initiative to touch the Empress in more than ten years. The corners of his mouth rose slightly, and a stream of internal energy extended from his fingertips along the Empress's veins. While feeling the Empress' pulse, he tried to use the Qi meridians to detect abnormalities in the latter's various Qi palaces.

The empress studied medicine, and immediately thought that her accelerated heartbeat would betray her state of mind, so she drank a sip of tea uncomfortably, suppressing the panic in her heart.

However, although she pretended to be calm while drinking her tea, she subconsciously sat up straight. Her broad hips and slim waist caught Xiao Yan's eyes for a moment, and he felt that she looked particularly graceful.

As the empress needed to keep a low profile on this trip, she only wore an ordinary woman's plain dress, but she gave people a strange feeling just by sitting there casually.

It was obvious that the empress was not very old, maybe only eight or nine years older than Xiao Yan, but she had the charm of a mature woman. However, before one could savor this charm, it would soon be dispersed by her natural coldness, making people feel cold and beautiful, but at the same time, looking at that flawless face, it seemed as if she had the charm of a young woman.

She had several qualities in one, which made Xiao Yan, who had seen countless beauties, want to take a second look. The empress could see Xiao Yan's calm eyes from the corner of her eye, and she felt a little weird. In her impression, it was rare for a man to appreciate a woman so directly. Either he would stare at her lustfully or dodge and sneak a glance, which was easy to disgust people.

However, Xiao Yan's eyes clearly showed a burning heat, but when the empress could not help but glance at him, he did not subconsciously avoid her in panic like an ordinary man, but continued to stare at her calmly. His black eyes were unfathomable, which made the empress panic for no reason, but she did not feel any disgust.

After she realized what was going on, the empress felt annoyed with herself. What was going on? It was obvious that he had been staring at her. Why was she feeling guilty?
The empress was aware of her own beauty and of course knew which part of her body satisfied her the most. However, after noticing Xiao Yan's calm look, she became even more flustered. She couldn't turn around to hide her appearance, so she had to drink tea one sip after another, leaving only a little residue in the cup, which she held in her hand awkwardly.

The empress began to doubt whether it was the right decision to come here dressed as a woman.

As expected, she guessed correctly. This little guy was not someone who was not interested in women!
Xiao Yan smiled and looked away, retracting his fingers at the same time, and saw the empress put down the empty teacup as if nothing had happened, with a faint smile on his face. He really didn't intend to embarrass the empress on purpose, but he didn't expect that such a mature woman like the empress would have so many little thoughts like a little girl.

He poured more tea for himself and the empress, and said, "It's a Gu."

The empress felt her cheeks getting hot, and upon hearing this, her expression immediately became serious and she asked, "Are you serious, my lord?"

If this is the case, then it is understandable that she could not detect the abnormality in her internal strength. The empress had never dealt with Gu, and had never even seen the famous voodoo in Mobei and Raojiang with her own eyes. She had only heard that these two things were beyond the scope of ordinary people's understanding.

"It can't be fake. I had already guessed it when I heard you say it, and I just confirmed it." Xiao Yan nodded, and then said bluntly: "Li Maozhen joined the Twelve Caves in the past to study Gu arts. I went to the Twelve Caves once during this trip, and I learned that the Gu arts he has practiced in the past ten years have been perfected. The Twelve Caves Gu arts are unfathomable, and even resurrection is not impossible. It is not difficult for Li Maozhen to seal your internal strength."

The empress remained silent.

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Although she knew that her brother might have changed a lot in the past fourteen years, she never expected that the witchcraft he had worked so hard to learn after joining the Twelve Caves would be used on her for the first time.

Xiao Yan also found the situation quite tricky. He had not thought about the fact that the empress's internal energy was sealed beforehand. No matter what kind of poisonous insect Li Maozhen had planted in the empress, it was not something he could cure for the time being. As it turned out, the empress might not be able to help much this time.

The empress was not too discouraged. She had never thought that Xiao Yan could help her recover her internal strength on this trip, so naturally she did not hold any hope. Knowing that it was the poisonous insect that was causing the trouble was already a pleasant surprise.

She said, "Don't worry, my lord. I have practiced martial arts for more than 20 years. Even if I don't have internal strength, I am enough to match a martial artist of the lower heaven level. If you need me, I will not hold you back."

Xiao Yan nodded. This was not a lie. The empress's skills were already top-notch in the world. Putting aside her profound internal strength, her external skills alone were not comparable to those of ordinary people in the martial arts world.

The empress then stated the purpose of this trip: "In Fengxiang, my brother has been the King of Qi for more than half a year. He won't give me any chance in the places he can control. The only thing I can control is Huanyinfang."

After that, she told Xiao Yan about how she had asked Fan Yintian to side with Li Maozhen first, and then had Fan Yintian personally capture Guangmutian in order to gain Li Maozhen's trust.

Fan Yintian was originally an elder in Huanyinfang, and Li Maozhen trusted her more than other saints. Although Fan Yintian was arrogant in recent years and bullied other women in Huanyinfang behind the back of the empress, she had long regarded the empress, Miao Chengtian and others as her sisters. The empress had been very good to her over the years, and even if she was dissatisfied with Fan Yintian sometimes, she would just treat her with care. Fan Yintian was not a conscienceless person, and was unwilling to give up this friendship.

In the original time and space, Fanyintian got the Raojiang Holy Gu from Hei Wuchang. It was from the illusion of the Holy Gu that he saw the demise of the Qi Kingdom and the death of the Empress and Holy Princesses such as Miao Chengtian on the battlefield. This made him disheartened and he stabbed his own throat and died without hesitation.

The friendship between the women could no longer be shaken by Li Maozhen, the King of Qi who had been exiled to Qi for many years.

It was because Fanyintian gained Li Maozhen's trust that the empress had the opportunity to reconnect with Xiao Yan, which also gave her hope of saving the country of Qi.

"My brother has listened to the words of the bad commander and Jin Wang Li Keyong, and has decided to send troops to Guanzhong to confront Zhu Liang." The empress said sternly: "Even though I have some friendship with you, I know that the bad commander is not so kind, and Li Keyong has ulterior motives. How can he sit back and watch Qi State grow stronger?"

She said: "Jin has the natural barrier of Hedong and the Eight Passes of Taihang. Whether it is to take Henan in the south or Hebei in the east, it can move forward and backward freely. However, Qi is determined to take Guanzhong. Even if it takes over the entire territory of Guanzhong, it will not be able to defend itself. Guanzhong is already exhausted. Qi will not gain much from taking it. Instead, it will attract Zhu Liang to attack in a large scale. It is not impossible for them to send troops to Fengxiang."

Xiao Yan nodded. The empress's analysis was correct. He said, "Li Keyong's idea is very simple. As long as Qi can hold back the Liang army in the Central Plains, he can take Hebei by himself. After Jin takes Hebei, whether to help Qi or not, how to help Qi, whether to go all out or just fight a little, are not up to Qi to decide."

The empress was a little dejected, but she just nodded seriously: "Your Excellency has hit the nail on the head. If we really want to talk about a winner, it can only be the State of Jin."

Xiao Yan smiled, but did not tell her that there might be a winner. He just said slowly, "I have already reminded the Chongzhengyuan in Bianjing that in the first half of this year, Dingnan and Shuofang towns are likely to be invited to invade Qi State."

The empress's eyes trembled, but she didn't say anything. She obviously understood that since Xiao Yan was willing to tell her on his own initiative, there must be room for maneuver.

She had already figured out something about Xiao Yan's style of doing things from the trivial things she had collected.

"Don't worry." Xiao Yan did as she expected, gently pressing the table and said, "It's just a trick to cut off the firewood from under the cauldron. Li Keyong wants to trick Li Maozhen into taking Guanzhong, but I won't let him do so easily. If your brother doesn't want to sit back and watch the two towns of Dingnan and Dingnan rise up, he can't lose sight of the other. To resist the two towns, Qi State needs at least 30% of its troops, and I have also reminded Bianjing along the Guanzhong line. It is possible that during the time you and I are talking, Guanzhong has already gathered heavy troops for defense. If your brother doesn't spare his efforts, it is unlikely that 70% of his troops will have any significant impact on the Guanzhong defense line."

He said slowly, "If Li Maozhen is willing to go to Guanzhong to bully Dingnan and the other two towns, the Chongzhengyuan will order the Guanzhong garrison to arrive at Qijing to directly threaten Fengxiang. I can't guess how your brother will choose. Can the Queen correct me?"

The empress was stunned.

Can you still play like this?
Qi State is sandwiched between Dingnan Town and Daliang. No matter which side he takes care of, that side will directly threaten his back. Li Maozhen is not omnipotent. He cannot act rashly until Daliang's troops in Guanzhong are withdrawn for the time being. Dingnan Town is not a big threat, but with the support of Daliang, it is a thorn in Li Maozhen's heart.

If what Xiao Yan said was true, then her brother as the king would be stuck in a dilemma for a short period of time and would have no time to care about the temptations from the bad commander and the State of Jin.

Xiao Yan called out to the empress and said, "But Jin cannot just sit there and watch me besiege Qi from both sides. It must take some action to contain the Liang army. So Guanzhong cannot maintain the status quo forever. This period of time can be long or short, half a year is possible, or one or two months is also possible. So we need to prepare for the worst."

He stared at the empress's beautiful phoenix eyes, which seemed to be able to charm people to death, but he just said word by word: "Within a month, we must take back Qiguo."

The empress was stunned.

I don’t know if it was because of the one-month time that scared me, or because of the light word “we”.

(End of this chapter)