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

Chapter 331 It’s an advantage for you
Xiao Yan returned at night, which was not a rush. There were bad guys responsible for passing on information along the way, so he was not worried even if he was a step late.

He believed in Ji Ruxue.

Of course, apart from taking action against the man in Luohua Cave, Qianwu was quite prudent in other matters, so with her help, nothing should go wrong.

Seeing Xiao Yan looking tired, with stubble on his chin and a thin body, although he didn't look tired at all, Ji Ruxue still couldn't hide her heartache. However, she restrained herself and didn't show it in front of others. She just watched him silently.

"Something big has happened."

Xiao Yan didn't exchange many pleasantries with Ji Ruxue. He nodded to Qian Wu, who was smiling faintly the whole time. He took off his dusty hat and patted it, saying bluntly, "Jin State has introduced a Li Tang prince. The news has not yet been fully spread, but Zhu Wen must know about it. He might urgently summon me back to the court tomorrow, so I rushed here all night to save time."

Ji Ruxue was a little surprised. Seeing Qian Wu considerately taking off Xiao Yan's cloak, she didn't think much about it. She just frowned and said, "The late emperor still has a royal bloodline alive?"

"It's not a big deal if there's more than one person involved." Xiao Yan smiled, pondered for a moment, and said, "But according to Zhu Wen's temper, a war is inevitable. Jin must have been prepared for it. Who will win..."

This piece of news was undoubtedly a bombshell. Once the war broke out, countless people would be displaced again in the Central Plains, which had only maintained peace for less than half a year. Under the flames of war, everyone might be involved in this human disaster.

Moreover, if Zhu Wen was ruthless, it could be a war that would destroy the country, and one of Daliang and Jin would suffer a heavy loss.

Ji Ruxue pursed her lips and fell into thought.

Qian Wu didn't think much about it. She probably couldn't think of so many things. The population of Raojiang was limited, so it was unlikely that there would be a major war. Luohua Cave was a semi-secluded place, so it was even less likely that it would get involved in such things.

The momentum that Xiao Yan instigated in Raojiang at that time was probably the biggest commotion in Raojiang in the past decade or so.

She made some tea to relieve Xiao Yan's fatigue. While waiting for the water to boil, she asked curiously, "My dear, are you looking for Ding Zhaopu for these things?"

"Yes and no."

Although Ding Zhaopu could be considered one of his own, Xiao Yan did not want to let him know too much, so he trimmed his beard, changed his clothes, and washed up with the help of Ji Ruxue to get rid of his tiredness.

"I heard that Zhu Wen is hiding in the palace and practicing alchemy and cultivating immortality. We must learn about these things." Xiao Yan said, "Ghost King Zhu Youwen tried his best to win favor and deceive Zhu Wen. Zhu Wen is old and has been tormented for a year. I'm afraid that the Hades behind Zhu Youwen can't wait any longer. At this time, Zhu Wen can't die."

Qianwu seemed to be thinking about something.

After she followed him to the Central Plains, she had tried her best to understand the situation around Xiao Yan. She also asked Ji Ruxue in detail, so she understood the connection between them. She just looked at Xiao Yan with her chin in her hand, and seemed to be very interested in Xiao Yan's scheming.

Ji Ruxue said softly: "I'm afraid things will become more complicated after returning to Beijing."

Xiao Yan smiled comfortingly but did not respond. Although he could not guarantee whether the situation was complicated or not, it was not something that people like Zhu Youwen could easily control.

"Put the tea aside first. You can use it when you come back."

A bad guy came to report outside the door, saying that Ding Zhaopu had gone to the side room to wait. Xiao Yan said this and walked out.

Ding Zhaopu deliberately changed his attire. If it weren't for his somewhat feminine posture, he would have looked no different from an ordinary wealthy man.

Xiao Yan didn't hesitate and went straight to the point asking about Zhu Wen's recent situation and the little actions of the Ghost King and others in the palace.

"Your Majesty is obsessed with alchemy and wants to live longer and attain enlightenment."

Ding Zhaopu was very respectful and whispered, "After taking those pills, your Majesty is indeed more energetic than in previous years. Recently, he often summons women to sleep with him. There are several women..."

Xiao Yan had no extra expression. Zhu Wen's debauchery was known to the world. He felt that his body was still strong and with the Ghost King adding fuel to the fire, he would naturally go crazy to satisfy his sexual desire.

Ding Zhaopu smacked his lips and continued in a low voice: "But according to our observation, His Majesty has been spending more time in the alchemy room recently, spending half a day there every day. Although he looks energetic after coming out of the alchemy room, the time he stays there has been very short recently. Before, His Majesty only went there once every three to five days, but now he goes there once every half a day, one or two hours, and sometimes stays there the whole day..."

He hesitated and said awkwardly, "But the alchemy room is a forbidden area in the palace. I dare not peek in, so I don't know what your majesty does in there. I hope you can understand."

Xiao Yan touched the stubble on his chin with a sneer on his face.

Zhu Yougui and Zhu Youwen really have something. Zhu Wen has obviously become addicted. His vigor and vitality are all an illusion. Considering Zhu Wen's age, if he continues to indulge in lust without restraint, he will probably die suddenly before he can even live to the original time and space.

Killing Zhu Wen suddenly was just a small trick. If Zhu Wen could be made completely addicted by the so-called elixir, Zhu Yougui would probably use this method to control Zhu Wen and help him take power.

In fact, it was only this purpose that made Zhu Yougui spend so much time and effort to research such a thing.

In this time and space, because of Xiao Yan's sudden intervention, Zhu Yougui's power was weakened a lot compared to the original time and space. At least in the imperial guards system, Zhu Yougui could not get everyone to respond to his call.

With this hidden danger, Zhu Yougui probably wouldn't dare to openly kill his father and usurp the throne, because the Bian Jing Imperial Guards could support more than just his family. Prince Jun Zhu Youzhen and Prince Ghost Zhu Youwen could both suddenly intervene and become outliers.

Ding Zhaopu looked at Xiao Yan, who was thinking silently with an expressionless face, and did not dare to disturb him. However, because he was hiding something on his mind, he still said carefully: "There is an important matter that I have not told you yet. There were so many people at the banquet just now that I did not dare to bring it up. I was thinking of looking for a chance tomorrow. Since you are meeting me now..."

"What about the orphan of Li Tang?"

"Yes, yes." Ding Zhaopu was stunned for a moment, as if he didn't know that Xiao Yan had known about it in advance, but he didn't think it was surprising, and hurriedly whispered: "We didn't know about this when we set out. It was only when we were halfway that the Prime Minister arranged for someone to tell us. I'm afraid that in two days, the news will be out of sight."

He said: "The Prime Minister asked me to tell you that this matter can be a big deal or a small one. Although His Majesty is furious, it is best to minimize the situation to a controllable level as much as possible..."

Xiao Yan didn't comment, but just nodded and said, "Continue."

"The Prime Minister's intention is to have you, Your Majesty, leave early tomorrow and return to the capital secretly. He will arrange for you to meet with His Majesty in private first."

Ding Zhaopu slowed down his speech and said, "Your Excellency is knowledgeable about military affairs, and everyone in the world knows this. If you take the initiative to bring it up, perhaps His Majesty will not start a war over this matter. What Jing Xiang meant is that the country is exhausted and it is best to rest and recuperate now. If the country goes to war with Jin State this time, regardless of victory or defeat, it will only seriously damage the vitality of the country. So if Your Excellency can take the initiative to shoulder the burden..."

Xiao Yan smiled, stroked his eyebrows and pondered in silence.

Ding Zhaopu didn't dare to speak. Although he was just a messenger, he could see how high the risk was.

According to Jing Xiang's idea, he obviously wanted Xiao Yan to sign a military order with Zhu Wen again, narrowing the scope of the war to just the battle in Hebei like last year, rather than letting Zhu Wen start a full-scale war in anger.

If the whole country goes to war with the State of Jin, it may have to mobilize 100,000 or 200,000 men, which is too much pressure. No matter whether we win or lose this war, the reputation of the so-called orphan of Li Tang can make up for it.

Those military leaders might be happy to see this happen, after all, there is no need to worry about military merit in such a war. However, Jing Xiang is in charge of the overall situation, so naturally he has concerns as the center.

However, if Xiao Yan is asked to bear this kind of pressure, I am afraid that this champion marquis is unwilling to take it.

If Ding Zhaopu thought about it himself, he would not want to do that either.

Xiao Yan did not comment on this matter, but just asked: "Is the Prime Minister in Chenliu?"

"We'll ask someone to invite ..."

"No need." Xiao Yan waved his hand, thought for a moment, asked someone to bring paper and pen, and then quickly drafted a letter, handed it to Ding Zhaopu, and said: "Eunuch Ding will go back later, please ask the Prime Minister to leave as soon as possible. If the Prime Minister can facilitate the various conditions in this letter, I, Xiao, will try my best to ask Your Majesty to abandon the attack and switch to defense even if I have to sign a military order with Your Majesty, and it is not impossible to fight the orphan of Li Tang alone."

Ding Zhaopu was horrified. All his wealth and status were tied to Xiao Yan, so he subconsciously advised: "Your Excellency, think twice..."

"No problem." Xiao Yan stood up to see the guest off. "Please ask Eunuch Ding to tell the Prime Minister's people to arrive. I will leave at noon tomorrow. I hope you can have some time to consider."

Ding Zhaopu did not dare to pry into the conditions in the letter. He only felt that this Champion Marquis was truly courageous and impressive, so he said no more and left in a hurry.

Xiao Yan was walking back when a bad guy came over with a lantern. He just waved his hand and the guy stopped following him.

He slowly returned to the backyard, but his mind was full of thoughts.

Undoubtedly, the State of Jin, with Yuan Tiangang meddling in it, was the biggest threat to him from outside. The Three Jins possessed the natural barrier of Hedong and had a strong foundation, so they were qualified to contend for supremacy in the world. Moreover, they were adjacent to Hebei, which was enough to thwart all of Xiao Yan's back-up plans in Hebei.

But this foreign enemy is actually not too scary. After Xiao Yan assisted the empress in regaining control of the Qi Kingdom, he had the patience to continue to fight with Yuan Tiangang.

In fact, he had also made preparations for Hebei. Regardless of whether Jin State continued to raise troops after Li Maozhen broke away from Qi State, he had room to pursue his own interests.

But Li Xingyun's early exposure became the biggest variable in this.

Zhu Wen, the emperor who usurped the Tang Dynasty, seemed to be disdainful of the Li Tang royal family, but in fact he hated and feared them. The Longquan treasure that had been passed down for a long time and was used to restore the Tang Dynasty became a thorn hanging over Zhu Wen's head. This emperor of the Zhu family always seemed to feel that the Tang Dynasty would be revived, and he had a deep-seated disgust and fear for the Li Tang royal family.

Zhu Wen was very afraid that one of the descendants of the Li Tang dynasty would find the Longquan treasure, raise his arms and call for action, and the whole country would respond, overwhelming his Zhu regime.

Therefore, Li Xingyun's early appearance was enough to make Zhu Wen feel uneasy, and was enough to make Zhu Wen send a large army to destroy Li Xingyun, the orphan of the Li Tang Dynasty.

Zhu Wen always led the army in person in this kind of war, so it would be difficult for Xiao Yan to take advantage of the situation. He would even be greatly constrained. He no longer had the unfettered freedom that he enjoyed in Hebei, and he could not use all his tactics openly. For example, the private army hidden in Yuyang could not be used.

And making Xiao Yan controlled cannot be Yuan Tiangang's real purpose.

According to Xiao Yan's assumption, the purpose of this general was to make Zhu Wen launch a large-scale war, which would inevitably cause great damage to the State of Liang, and it would definitely not be able to swallow up the State of Jin in one go. It would only have the superficial glory of being the overlord of the Central Plains, but in fact its national strength would be greatly damaged. If there were any internal turmoil, it would immediately become a mess.

Even if Xiao Yan inherited Daliang's legacy, all he would get was such a mess, a Daliang whose national strength was declining and might even fall apart.

This was the Marshal's conspiracy.

So what if Xiao Yan forced Li Maozhen away?
Yuan Tiangang still has a way to force Jin Liang to be involved in this turmoil, and this turmoil, which may cause changes in the whole world, will trigger a series of chain reactions. This is Yuan Tiangang's next game plan. It is really one move after another.

Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel a headache. After all, his subtle control over the world situation was not as good as Yuan Tiangang's. Even though he could quickly guess the key to what was going on, he was ultimately unable to guard against it.

Even if Xiao Yan enjoyed this kind of counter-attack, he couldn't help feeling annoyed.

Fortunately, Jingxiang handed over a pillow.

Xiao Yan admired this respectful minister.

As Zhu Wen's top adviser, Jing Xiang's loyalty to Daliang was beyond doubt.

In the original time and space, after Li Cunxu captured Bian Jing, he issued an edict to pardon all ministers of the Liang Dynasty.

Jing Xiang, who had long been out of favor with Zhu Youzhen, left only one sentence after hearing that his good friend Li Zhen went to pay homage to Li Cunxu: "Li Zhen is mistakenly considered a man! The Zhu family and the Jin Dynasty are enemies, and we conspired together to bring shame upon you. Now the young master is hanging himself at the gate of the country. Even if the new dynasty pardons his crimes, how can he face entering the gate of Jianguo!" Then he hanged himself. Later, his entire family was executed by Li Cunxu.

It was hard for Xiao Yan not to admire his wisdom, overall perspective, and sincere loyalty.

However, precisely because of this, and precisely because Jing Xiang is too loyal to Daliang, he always looks at things from the perspective of Daliang's overall situation. Even though he and Xiao Yan have a close personal relationship, and even though he also admires Xiao Yan, it does not affect his desire to use Xiao Yan to minimize the harmfulness of the situation.

In Jing Xiang's eyes, having Xiao Yan sign the military order and commanding a great victory over Jin would be enough to prevent Zhu Wen from launching a large-scale war. Even if Xiao Yan was defeated, he would have room to protect Xiao Yan from Zhu Wen, so he could not be considered to be of any use.

But for Xiao Yan, the risk was simply raised to a higher level. Not to mention whether his army could achieve anything, and how could this victory be considered a victory that would satisfy Zhu Wen, the risk after the defeat alone was enough to make him lose his position in the Liang Dynasty, such as the command of the imperial guards.

Jing Xiang would take the overall situation into consideration and would not care about these things. He cared about the country of Daliang, not Xiao Yan's personal power. At first, he was willing to act as a guarantor for Xiao Yan in front of Zhu Wen, just for this day.

Xiao Yan had no aversion to this. He believed that it was Zhu Wen's honor to have a minister like Jing Xiang, as he was responsible for eating the emperor's food and sharing his worries.

However, Zhu Wen was obviously not worthy of Jing Xiang.

Even though he knew what Jing Xiang was thinking, Xiao Yan was willing to agree to it, and even wanted to thank Jing Xiang for giving Xiao Yan the opportunity to drag him into the water.

Yuan Tiangang used a conspiracy to force Jin Liang to end the war with no choice but to fight.

Xiao Yan naturally had to counter the moves.

------

Back in the room, Qian Wu had indeed kept the tea for Xiao Yan, so he drank it and then chatted with Ji Ruxue.

During this period, it is inevitable to talk about the dancer who made Ji Ruxue and Qian Wu both suspicious.

"It's unlikely that they are from Emperor Ming or Zhu Youzhen."

Xiao Yan smiled and shook his head: "If they want to place someone next to me, there are better choices. How can I trust a woman who suddenly appeared like this?"

Qian Wu didn't know the inside story, and looked at Ji Ruxue curiously, wanting to know what the so-called better choice was.

Ji Ruxue thought for a moment, frowned and said, "Are you talking about Zhong Xiaokui?"

"Correct."

Xiao Yan didn't explain too much, but just thought about it and said, "But it's right to be careful. Since this person wants to get close to me, no matter whether his purpose is pure or not, I will treat him with ill intentions first."

He immediately called Gong Yangzuo and asked him to investigate the Chenliu County Magistrate.

"One more thing."

Ji Ruxue bit her lip and said in annoyance: "The dancer approached me at the banquet. Although I didn't give her the opportunity to have too much contact with me, what if she noticed it..."

"Oh, it's not a big deal." Xiao Yan smiled: "As long as we can rule out the Dark Emperor and Zhu Yougui's men, it doesn't matter if she finds out something strange."

In fact, it is not really unimportant, but Xiao Yan has made up his mind just now. Even if the dancer really noticed something, there is no real evidence, at most it will make Zhu Wen or Zhu Yougui suspicious.

For example, people like Li Keyong, Xiao Yan just thought that the King of Jin had already known about his existence, and naturally did not think of hiding it from these people.

The matter in Fengxiang could certainly not be covered up. The reason why Xiao Yan didn't want Zhu Wen to suspect him was because he had longer-term plans.

Now that he has made the decision, what does it matter if Zhu Wen has doubts?

Qian Wu went to personally prepare bathing supplies for Xiao Yan and left soon after.

Ji Ruxue still felt a little guilty and didn't want to disturb Xiao Yan any longer. The journey was long and Xiao Yan had been traveling day and night. It would be a lie to say he wasn't tired.

But just as she reached the door, her waist was suddenly grasped, and she was startled when she felt her lips were kissed.

She moaned softly, hugged the back of Xiao Yan's neck, stood on tiptoe, her cheeks flushed with love.

The two of them hugged each other for a long time. Perhaps because she was afraid that Qian Wu would come back and see them, or because she had other concerns, Ji Ruxue shyly moved away.

Xiao Yan whispered: "I miss you so much."

Ji Ruxue was startled and raised her head. There seemed to be water in her almond-shaped eyes, which were full of tenderness. She took the initiative to hug Xiao Yan's waist, pursed her lips and said nothing, but her heart was beating violently and it was difficult to calm down.

Xiao Yan held her face and said seriously, "Don't leave at night. I will tell you about Fengxiang."

Ji Ruxue leaned against the door, her delicate body trembling slightly because of Xiao Yan's words just now. She was already weak, and her pretty face became even redder when she heard these words.

She was a little embarrassed, but looking at Xiao Yan's serious eyes, she bit her lip, stood on tiptoe, and whispered in his ear: "Tonight... I can't, I'll let Qian Wu accompany you..."

Xiao Yan was stunned.

Ji Ruxue's cold face turned red and she didn't dare to look at him. God knows how much struggle she went through before she said this.

But she just said softly: "I can see that Qianwu really likes you... No matter what, you can't let her down."

Xiao Yan felt a little tricky. He didn't know how the two girls got along in the past month. After thinking about it, he smiled and said, "It's really just a conversation."

Ji Ruxue ignored him, looked at Xiao Yan's key point with a red face, couldn't help but burst out laughing, and then rolled her eyes.

"Bah, I don't believe you."

She rushed to open the door and ran out, but she didn't forget to turn around and glance at Xiao Yan: "You got a bargain!"

Xiao Yan watched her running towards Qian Wu, leaning against the door with his arms folded, and burst out laughing.

------

No matter what, Xiao Yan didn't think that Ji Ruxue's words that he got a good deal were false.

Qian Wu was very tall. Among all the women Xiao Yan knew, perhaps only the Empress was as tall as her. She had an elegant and cold temperament, and her quiet and beautiful face gave off an indescribable feeling.

Although that face is cold and aloof as if to keep people at a distance, the aura it exudes is like the pampering and gentleness of a sister next door.

When he first met Qian Wu, Xiao Yan saw a hint of disgust on her face. But now she just sat at the table in front of the bathtub with her face in her hands, looking at him gently, without any feeling of embarrassment.

Xiao Yan felt a little uncomfortable. It wasn't that he was embarrassed, he just felt like Qian Wu's prey. He was being stared at by her, and it seemed as if the bathtub was of no use in covering him. He felt like he was naked in front of her.

"My dear, are you worried?"

Qian Wu stood up, walked closer gently, leaned forward, and crouched slightly in front of Xiao Yan.

She had bathed beforehand and was only wearing an ink-black bathrobe. The pair of trembling breasts standing upright on her chest were not startling, but were quite tall. As her body leaned forward, more white was exposed, with a deep and dazzling abyss in between.

"Well……"

Xiao Yan did not answer, but Qian Wu just smiled and gently hugged Xiao Yan, letting his face hide in the valley of her chest.

Her scent is charming, and her soft touch is even more alluring.

Xiao Yan felt like he was having trouble breathing.

Qian Wu leaned over, gently bit his earlobe, and whispered very gently.

"Qianwu, I won't let you down..."

(End of this chapter)