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

Chapter 326 Boudoir
The martial law in the entire city of Fengxiang will ultimately cause fear and great inconvenience to the people in the city.

Therefore, Huanyinfang, which had been silent for more than half a year, began to operate non-stop, and used thunder-like means to eliminate all the remnants and hidden dangers left by Li Maozhen in the city. Most of them were people from the martial arts world who were recruited by Li Maozhen in the past six months to replace Huanyinfang. Most of them should not have any problems, but they were still temporarily detained.

Another group is the officials of all ranks promoted by Li Maozhen. In just over half a year, Li Maozhen secretly eliminated dozens of officials trained by the empress over the years, and then won over and promoted an equal number of candidates. These people are clearly distinguished from the original team of the empress and are highly trusted by Li Maozhen. No matter whether they are really loyal to Li Maozhen or not, they will inevitably be branded with Li Maozhen's mark.

After the semi-transparent exposure of the empress's true identity, it would be difficult for the "Prince of Qi" party not to be excluded by the "Empress" party. There was no guarantee that these people would think of welcoming Li Maozhen back in the near future.

This is not a matter of whether the empress wants to or not. Even if she really does nothing and boldly rewards and continues to use this group of people, it is difficult to guarantee that some of these people will not think that since they cannot truly integrate into the "Empress's" party anyway, it is better to welcome Li Maozhen back and continue to be loyal to the "Prince of Qi" party.

This is a natural factional imprint. Li Maozhen's party was originally promoted by Li Maozhen after he eliminated dissidents. Before that, they stepped on the heads of the empress's party to get to the top. They will inevitably be excluded by officials who support the empress because of their seniority, faction, and closeness.

This kind of exclusion, fighting and suppression among officials is a very common party struggle. In the current situation, the empress cannot control it. Although she succeeded in restoring the throne through a coup, she is a woman after all. If she continues to employ people promoted by Li Maozhen, then it will inevitably disappoint the officials excluded by Li Maozhen. Since there are people who can be trusted, why should she use Li Maozhen's officials who have hidden dangers?
Therefore, in just two days, quite a number of people were relocated. They were not dismissed from office, but just kept away from the center. Similarly, the empress would not allow these people to go to various towns to serve as local officials. If the town commanders knew that she was a woman, there might be an uproar. The empress would not release these officials who posed hidden dangers.

Because the city was quickly cleared and the necessary supervisory officials, both large and small, had their own measures in place, Fengxiang lifted the martial law after two days. It can only be said that they tried their best not to cause too much panic to the people in the city.

But the empress still felt a little overwhelmed. All kinds of complicated things were mixed together, and the appointment of officials was just a small matter. On this day, official news came that the two towns of Dingnan and Shuofang in the north had raised a total of 30,000 troops to invade, and the northern front had already been ignited with raging flames.

Of course, these 30,000 are only the main force. Most of the people in Dingnan and Dingnan towns are Dangxiang people, and there are also many grassland people among them. The total size of the army is probably not small. In short, the pressure on the Baosai Army is very great, and its governor Hu Jingzhang has sent several urgent reports in succession.

Several armies were stationed outside Fengxiang City, but the empress was unable to let the troops return to the city immediately. During the safe period, she sent a trusted general of the Fengxiang Army to the north for assistance, and later sent the Baoda Army and the Yisheng Army back to the city, while the Jingnan Army remained in Fengxiang.

These Jiedushi are all high-ranking officials who control a certain area. However, they were all promoted by the empress during her years of fighting. The empress has no reason to distrust them. But she is afraid that once the people below know the empress's true identity, there will be opportunists who will instigate these high-ranking officials. People's hearts are unpredictable and we have to be on guard.

Once the affairs in Fengxiang are settled, the empress will no longer stay in Fengxiang, and she will definitely lead the army in person to resist the two towns of Dingnan.

But when she heard that Xiao Yan was about to leave Fengxiang, the empress, no matter how busy she was, immediately put aside a bunch of matters and asked Fan Yintian and others to take the responsibility and go to Huanyinfang to meet this little man for whom she could not thank him enough.

Xiao Yan's actions often made people subconsciously ignore his age. However, for the empress, it was really difficult to treat Xiao Yan, who was nearly ten years younger than her, as a peer.

Thinking about it this way, when the empress met Xiao Yan for the first time, Xiao Yan was only seventeen years old. Even though he had already experienced Caozhou, Bianjing, Luoyang, etc. at that time, and had deliberately made himself look more mature at the time, the empress now often thinks of the childishness that had not yet disappeared from Xiao Yan's face at that time.

It is hard to imagine that such a young man could actually accumulate such a huge fortune in just three years. When you think about it carefully, it is hard not to feel that heroes emerge from young people.

But even if she really thought so, the empress would never reveal this idea.

The idea of ​​'little man' was perhaps just a little fantasy that came to her mind when she was collecting stories about Xiao Yan. It seemed that only in this way could this man seem less abnormal than his peers and so out of reach. It could be said to be a secret that belonged to the empress alone.

Thinking of this, before entering the building where Xiao Yan was staying, she couldn't help but chuckle. It was beautiful.

Duo Wentian, who was following behind him, was completely confused. It was hard for him to understand why his master was laughing for no reason.

"what……"

At this time, Duowentian exclaimed in a low voice.

The empress was a little surprised and looked back at her. Then she followed Duo Wentian's gaze and saw that Xiao Yan was leaning on the wooden railing in the pavilion in front of her. Although he was holding a book in his hand, his eyes were looking over here with a smile on his face, obviously he had seen what the empress had done just now.

Imagining how she looked just now, and being watched by Xiao Yan without noticing, it was hard for the empress not to feel embarrassed. However, she was the empress after all, and had experienced all kinds of situations. She just looked calm and did her best to look natural, but she was still subconsciously guessing in her heart what Xiao Yan was thinking just now.

"Prince Qi is so busy with affairs, yet he still has to take time out to take care of me, Xiao. It really makes me ashamed." Xiao Yan walked down the pavilion, smiled, and nodded to Duo Wentian.

The empress relaxed a little, then shook her head and said, "Even if there is something big, it is not as important as you. I heard that you are leaving soon, and I am afraid that I will not be able to spare the time to see you off, so I have to come and talk to you in advance."

"It's time to leave."

Xiao Yan didn't seem like a guest here. He invited the two girls to sit down. After all, this was Huanyinfang, and most of the people coming and going were girls. He didn't let the people below him stay in, and he didn't ask for any maids at the accommodation, so Duo Wentian instead made tea for the three of them in a very familiar manner.

After taking his seat, Xiao Yan casually crossed his legs, which looked a bit frivolous in such an occasion, but no one cared. Duo Wentian even felt that Xiao Yan's posture was quite free and easy.

"According to this time, I should be in Bian Jing by now." Xiao Yan said, "If I delay any longer, I'm afraid many people will know that I was involved in Fengxiang's matter. I dare not let the Zhu Emperor suspect me."

The empress couldn't help but laugh at Xiao Yan's slightly self-deprecating tone, and said, "It's a pity. I would like to ask you for more advice on the affairs of Qi State, but I can't let this delay your important task."

Xiao Yan pondered for a moment and said, "What King Qi is worried about is nothing more than the changes in Dingnan and Shuofang?"

The empress looked serious. Because she was going to see Xiao Yan, she only wore casual clothes and did not put on any men's makeup to cover up her appearance. Her face without makeup was very bright, and her slightly frowned brows at this moment actually had a unique beauty.

Xiao Yan didn't mind appreciating the beauty in front of him, but he didn't keep staring at her to make the empress uncomfortable. His eyes were reserved, and he was in a good mood because of it.

Anyone who wakes up in the morning and sees two beauties will surely be in a good mood.

He said, "There are quite a few people who know about the incident in Fengxiang, and the people below are unpredictable. If the troops had not been raised in Dingnan and Dingnan, the King of Qi would have had plenty of time to deal with these trivial matters. But these two things together are really a headache."

As he spoke, he pointed at himself and smiled: "Speaking of which, these two things are closely related to me. If I hadn't been fighting with Li Maozhen in the city, I'm afraid there wouldn't be so many people who knew about it. In this way, it wouldn't be difficult for you, King Qi."

The Empress and Duowentian both laughed. Of course, it was not Xiao Yan's fault. If Xiao Yan had not held back her brother, the Empress would not have had the opportunity to leave the city and take control of the army.

"The matter of Dingnan and the two towns..." Xiao Yan thought for a moment and said, "I can help King Qi a little. The two towns sent out troops this time because they had the support of Daliang, and Daliang did make a gesture in Guanzhong. If the Liang army in Guanzhong withdraws, Dingnan and the two towns will not have support and will not dare to go deep into Qi. They will retreat after a little fighting. I will think of a solution after I return."

The empress stood up with a serious expression and bowed, saying, "Thank you, my lord."

Xiao Yan smiled. He put so much effort in just to make Qi Kingdom share his success and failure. Before, he encouraged Dingnan and Dingnan towns to rise up in rebellion just to use it as a backup plan in case the coup failed, so as to suppress Li Maozhen and prevent him from having the opportunity to cooperate with Jin Kingdom. Now that the empress has been restored to the throne, it is naturally no longer necessary.

"Of course." Xiao Yan added: "If things go well, although Dingnan and Shuofang have no Liang army to support them, I do not recommend Qiguo to launch an expedition against the two towns. In my opinion, peace talks are the best."

The empress nodded without hesitation and said, "I have the same idea. The two towns serve as a buffer between Qi and Jin. Without my brother, it will be difficult for me and Li Keyong to get along well. Instead of being directly adjacent to Jin, it is better to let the two towns bear the pressure in the middle."

Xiao Yan smiled casually. The empress was indeed a mature vassal king. Her own interests were her top priority. She did not regard this as a move to nurture a tiger to cause harm. She would probably do her best to promote the relationship between Qi State and the two towns in the future.

Since the empress has her own considerations, Xiao Yan will not interfere in this matter. And as long as he can ensure that the empress's political inclination is on his side, he will not intervene too much in Qi State.

They talked about other matters for a while, and Xiao Yan mostly gave his opinions. The empress was very humble and always put Xiao Yan in the main position in her words. There was no "little man" mentality at all.

However, the topic was finally finished, and Duo Wentian was sent to help Gong Yangzuo and others prepare their luggage for departure, leaving only the two of them alone in the room. In fact, after the empress casually asked Duo Wentian to help, she immediately realized this and felt a little uneasy.

It was fine before she revealed her identity to Xiao Yan. No matter what, she could face him calmly as the King of Qi. Now that Xiao Yan knew her identity, it was hard not to feel alone in this room.

Xiao Yan really liked watching the empress's occasional displays of daughterly behavior. After the topic ended, he carefully admired the empress's demeanor.

Although the empress was wearing casual clothes, she must have bound her chest, so her size could not be seen. She only looked thin at waist and could hold a handful of clothes. I wonder if she would deliberately make her figure look taller when she appeared in men's clothes.

Seeing his eyes wandering over her body, staring at her face with a smile from time to time, no matter how calm she was, the empress always felt a little shy for some reason. Perhaps it was because Xiao Yan was too bored, so his eyes were not as reserved as before. The empress coughed lightly and tried to find a topic as calmly as possible: "I wonder what the prince thought about releasing those Qi Wang guards before..."

Xiao Yan said "oh". The empress was talking about him letting Li and dozens of Qi Wangwei selected by him leave.

When the fake Li was released from Fengxiang, Xiao Yan did not personally inquire about it. According to Gong Yangzuo, the fake Li was still in disbelief at the time. Before leaving, he asked Gong Yangzuo to convey his words, saying that he was grateful to Xiao Yan for sparing him this time. Then he said that Xiao Yan would definitely regret this decision, but considering the favor he owed Xiao Yan this time, the fake Li promised to let Xiao Yan go in the future.

After hearing these words, Xiao Yan just laughed, but the old man Gongyang Zuo was very angry and blamed the prince for letting that guy go.

Even Gong Yang Zuo was a little confused. It was no surprise that the empress would ask this question. She didn't ask it before because she trusted Xiao Yan's decision. Now that she brought it up, it might be because the atmosphere was too awkward.

"It's very simple."

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Xiao Yan had never intended to hide the truth from the Empress, so it was no big deal to let her know the truth, so he said, "Although I don't know where your brother went after leaving Fengxiang, it is difficult for him to achieve anything in Qi Country now. If he goes to other places, he has no other advantages except his martial arts, so he can be said to be a lonely man..."

Hearing these words, the empress just sighed quietly. She certainly would not feel any sympathy for her brother. The way Li Maozhen treated her had completely severed the brother-sister relationship between the two. The empress just lamented what Li Maozhen said that night. Her brother was too obsessed and she was afraid that he would never look back in this life.

"But even so, your brother has great ambitions and will not give up. After leaving Qi State, he will find a chance to make a comeback. Whether he goes to other places to seek opportunities or seek status in Jin State, whether he has people under his command or not is another matter."

Xiao Yan continued, "That 'Li Lang' is a chess piece that the Buliang Commander has planted next to your brother. He lost his job in Qi State this time, and it will be difficult for him to get such an opportunity from the Buliang Commander again after he returns. If he wants to achieve something, he can only form a group with your brother. I believe that no matter how arrogant your brother is, he will not reject this ally at this moment.

They both have their own ambitions. Although they will not belong to Qi State after joining forces, they will also be independent of Jin State. And between the two of them, they can be regarded as restraining each other. The greater their achievements, the more this restraint will give rise to a gap, and the gap will become larger and larger until the moment of rupture. "

The empress seemed to be thinking about something.

But Xiao Yan actually had something else to say.

The fake Li existed as a means for Yuan Tiangang to stimulate Li Xingyun. After he returned in disgrace from Qi State this time, Yuan Tiangang would never allow him to be valued in Jin State again, because according to intelligence, Yuan Tiangang had already invited Li Xingyun to Jin State. If the commander-in-chief had not been stupid, he would not have allowed the fake Li to have the opportunity to flatter Li Keyong and Li Xingyun.

Letting the fake Li follow Li Maozhen was not Xiao Yan's good intention to help these two. The fake Li brought a group of Qi Wang Wei to find Li Maozhen, which could indeed provide Li Maozhen with a team quickly, but the fake Li could also make Li Maozhen feel uncomfortable.

Li Maozhen has the ability and the fake Li has connections. The two of them start a business together. In a sense, both parties need each other very much and want to swallow each other up. Of course, the fake Li is obviously the weaker party.

But none of this matters. Just as Xiao Yan had said, he didn't care about the story in between. He was only interested in the ending between the two of them. And the news that he had the fake Li bring to Li Maozhen was like a wound in Li Maozhen's heart. As for Jin State and Yuan Tiangang, he should be politely indifferent and it would be unlikely that he would be easily used by Yuan Tiangang again.

The empress resolved her doubts. While she admired Xiao Yan's far-reaching ambitions, she also secretly felt that Li Maozhen was going in opposite directions from hers, and the brother and sister eventually became strangers.

For a moment, the empress was a little depressed.

Xiao Yan was sensitive enough to notice this. He wanted to prevent the empress from thinking too much about Li Maozhen, so he smiled and said, "I have come to Fengxiang several times, but I have never had the chance to take a good look at this 'Western Capital'. The unrestrained beauty of the northwest is very different from that of the Central Plains and Hebei. It's a pity that I don't know when I will have the chance next time."

The empress was surprised, and after thinking about it carefully, she realized that it was true. She felt very guilty. She had been too busy these days and had never thought of asking someone to take Xiao Yan around Fengxiang.

Fengxiang was once the Western Capital of the Tang Dynasty after the An-Shi Rebellion. The city is huge, and indeed has a different aesthetic from places like the Central Plains. But considering that the whole city was under martial law a few days ago, I'm afraid there won't be much to see if I take Xiao Yan for a walk.

It was too late to invite Xiao Yan to go for a walk. The empress came today because she learned that Xiao Yan would set off for Bian Jing today. It would be meaningless to go out for a sightseeing in a hurry.

Thinking of this, the empress suddenly thought of a good idea, and she said naturally: "If you don't mind, Huanyinfang has a good spot that overlooks most of Fengxiang. The scenery is unique and beautiful, and it may allow you to see the magnificence of Fengxiang."

Without even thinking, Xiao Yan stood up and said, "Then it would be disrespectful to refuse."

However, after the empress stood up and came to her senses, she was suddenly stunned, and then her cheeks felt a little hot. But after she said it, seeing Xiao Yan's expectant look, it was difficult to change her words. She could only secretly annoy herself for being too easily misbehaving in front of Xiao Yan recently.

The destination is an attic, but it is not quite correct to call it an attic because it is built against the mountain. There is a waterfall next to the bluestone steps, and after climbing up, there is a courtyard.

The area of ​​the front yard is not large, but it is extremely delicate, like an ink painting imitating the gardens of Jiangnan. The snow is white, and the waterfall is hanging straight down. In the mist and the morning smoke, there are only black and white colors, which is exquisite and peaceful.

There is a small pond under the waterfall, the dark blue water is rippling with layers of ripples, occupying most of the front yard.

Going further in, there is a tea room and a painting studio. The painting studio is made of bamboo and wood. The corridor is very short, and at the end is a zigzag wooden ladder. After climbing up, there is another tea room. Following the empress into a room, Xiao Yan saw that behind the building, there is a small garden inside the courtyard wall tied into a row of garden fir trees. There is a swing in the middle with vines climbing on it, which looks particularly exquisite.

This room is connected to an observation deck outside. After Xiao Yan walked out, he could see the indigo-colored mountains in the distance under the mist and most of Fengxiang hidden in the morning fog.

Here, the hustle and bustle of the outside world seems to be completely isolated, the place is spotless and the mind is peaceful.

The empress was a little embarrassed, but seeing Xiao Yan looking intently at the railing, she observed him intently. A man in his twenties really cannot be considered a grown man, but the empress searched for the memories in her mind, and then looked at Xiao Yan, who had a resolute brow and a deep gaze as he watched the scenery from afar, and she could not associate him with the childishness of that young boy back then.

However, Xiao Yan looked very quiet at this time, as if he was thinking about something very far away. He did not speak, and the empress did not disturb him, but just quietly looked at the scenery in front of her.

She had seen this view overlooking Fengxiang thousands of times, but this was the first time she stood here with this person.

"Being able to see this beautiful scenery is really a great benefit to the Empress..."

Xiao Yan suddenly turned his head to look over and smiled. He was not blind. Just by looking at the interior decoration and the quiet and elegant place, he could guess that this was the empress's boudoir.

The empress was startled, her eyes evasive, and she said softly, "I owe you a lot on this trip, but this is all, it's nothing."

Xiao Yan chuckled and stared at her, watching the empress's plump, fair face become soft and beautiful at this moment, with her eyebrows and eyes like the moon, so he whispered: "I saw your smile from afar on the pavilion before, it was really beautiful. If you have the chance, after leaving behind this King Qi, you should smile more often."

The empress was startled for a moment, and subconsciously raised her eyes. Her phoenix eyes seemed to be filled with water, soft and charming. When she looked at Xiao Yan, her face suddenly became as beautiful as a peach blossom.

(End of this chapter)