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

Chapter 418: King Jin’s Martial Arts (II)

"Congratulations, Sect Master!"

In the suburbs of Taiyuan, several riders met Li Cunli, who was coming from the south. Among them, Ba Ye, who was carrying enlarged double axes on his back, did not even wait to dismount, but clasped his fists and laughed from a distance: "The King of Jin has issued an imperial decree. From now on, the master of the sect will be the holy master of Tongwenguan!"

Li Cunli's usual wide sleeves were already rolled up at this time, and there were still a dozen disciples from the Tongwenguan surrounding him. He just responded coldly when he heard this, and then pointed at Bal among his riders on horseback.

"Don't rush into the city. Come and tell me in detail what happened."

However, Li Cunli was ordered to stay in Luzhou not long ago. He was directly appointed by Li Keyong as the acting governor of Zhaoyi Jiedushi, the governor of Luzhou, the imperial censor, and the commander of the army of Zhaoyi Town. Compared with his elder brother, the governor of Daizhou, he was much more powerful for a while.

However, before he had time to warm up the troops in Luzhou, the Taiyuan incident suddenly occurred and he was immediately recalled. The so-called Zhaoyi Jiedushi's official position was also replaced by Fu Cunshen, the Inspector of Xinzhou. During the period, Li Cunli was too rushed to understand the inside story. Moreover, when he returned to Taiyuan, he naturally had to pay a visit to the King of Jin first, and he could not slowly sort out the various threads, so he could only summon a few of his men to go outside the city in advance to find out a little bit.

In the end, Li Cunli was actually somewhat worried. He and Li Siyuan had always been close friends, and only a fool would believe that he had no involvement in this elder brother's affairs. What if this was just an excuse from his adoptive father to trick him into returning to Taiyuan, and when he met him, he would be imprisoned on numerous charges like his elder brother, wouldn't he be unable to escape even if he had wings?
But even if I was worried, what was the point? Even if I knew this was most likely a Hongmen Banquet, could I not go?

Not to mention that all his family and relatives were in Taiyuan, even if he abandoned everything and joined another country, who would tolerate him given his status as a Shatuo and the adopted son of the King of Jin? It would be fine if he just sat on the bench until he died, but I was afraid that by that time, he would really be like meat on the chopping board, allowing others to take advantage of him and manipulate him at will.

So instead of doing this, it is better to take this gamble and bet that my previous humility and obedience to my adoptive father, like things like Bago, can prevent my adoptive father from having the intention to kill me. As long as my life is not in danger, there will be room for mediation in the future.

As for his eldest brother... Li Cunli was not disloyal to Li Siyuan, nor did he not care about his life and property at all. It was just that he knew that his eldest brother was not in Taiyuan at all when the incident happened.

The only pity is the third and fourth brothers, but Li Cunli doesn't care about so much. Working for his eldest brother, he should have been aware of sacrificing himself. The saying that fortune and honor are sought in danger is not empty talk.

So he asked Bal to explain to him the details of the Taiyuan Incident, while he put away his worries and went into the city to meet Li Keyong.

"I, Li Cunli, pay my respects to Your Majesty. I was shocked to hear that Your Majesty had met with such an unexpected event. I was so panicked that I had no place to go and my heart was burning. I rushed here at full speed overnight without even taking the time to put on my official hat and robe. Now I am not dressed properly and my manners are inappropriate, which is really against the etiquette of a minister. I humbly beg Your Majesty to forgive my hasty behavior and I only hope that God will bless me and let me recover soon."

Li Cunli did not mention the Tongwenguan at all, but just called himself a subject, which clearly showed his attitude. Li Keyong, who was sitting in a wheelchair, couldn't help but stroke his beard and smiled, "How can we be so unfamiliar with each other? Get up. It's just a minor injury. You make me feel like I'm going to die soon."

Li Cunli was about to stand up, but when he heard this, his face turned pale again and he bowed down: "I have no such intention..."

Li Keyong waved his hands and snorted, "Do you know what I dislike most about you? A warrior, but you insist on learning from Confucian scholars, which makes you neither civil nor martial, which is very unpleasant. If everyone is like you, won't Tongwenguan become even more weird in the future? I asked you to stand up, but I don't mean to blame you."

Li Cunli's heart was moved immediately, but he just stood there with his hands behind his back, without saying a word for a while.

Li Keyong pushed his wheelchair to the desk, rubbed the bronze talisman with his fingertips and said, "I'm handing Tongwenguan over to you. Are there any rules?"

After asking this question, he suddenly threw the token onto the stage, making a clanging sound, and turned back to stare at Li Cunli: "Do you know why your father chose you to succeed the Holy Lord?"

Li Cunli had been resting for a while, but now his heart was startled again. He quickly took a half step back and bowed down to the table: "How can I know the deep thoughts of my foster father?"

"You really don't know?" Li Keyong laughed jokingly, the wheel rolling on the ground like crushing ice chips, and there seemed to be a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

Li Cunli's face turned pale, his Adam's apple rolled under the pressure, but he dared not not answer.

"My child... I thought, first, I have been running the museum with my elder brother for ten years, and everyone in the museum knows me. My old subordinates will recognize my face and will feel at ease; second, my elder brother is still on the run, and if I come forward to sort things out, those fence-sitters will not dare to act rashly; third..."

At this point, his face turned even paler, but his voice became a little steadier. He gritted his teeth and continued, "Third, my foster father wants to borrow this blunt knife from me to cut off all the remnants of my eldest brother's gang and cut off the possibility of my eldest brother's revival!"

"Since you know it, why hide your ability?" Li Keyong sneered.

After saying this, Li Cunli actually knew that his life was no longer in danger, so he let out a long breath, bowed calmly and said: "I have always been on good terms with my eldest brother. The government and the public have long said that my eldest brother and I are in the same party. Now that my third brother is in prison and my eldest brother has fled, how can I not be afraid for my adoptive father... I really don't have the confidence to answer."

"This reason does sound like the truth."

Li Keyong nodded slightly, then picked up the bronze talisman and threw it to Li Cunli: "I have been able to keep you until today because I know that you are different from the boss. You are a smart person. Compared with the boss, you should know what you can and cannot think about. Don't be greedy."

Li Cunli's back was soaked with cold sweat. After receiving the bronze token, he finally felt relieved. He bowed and said, "I don't think I am qualified to be in charge of Tongwenguan, but since my adoptive father has appointed me, I will do my best to give you a brand new Tongwenguan."

"Don't be too perfect." Li Keyong smiled with narrowed eyes, "But since you dare to boast, I would like to see how different the Tongwenguan is under your command and under the boss's command."

"After I return, I will definitely present a set of rules to my foster father as soon as possible."

"Not urgent."

Li Keyong knocked on the armrest of the wheelchair, his tone unchanged: "Your eldest brother has great ambitions. Even if he is defeated and flees, he will not surrender and sit and wait for death. In your opinion, what will he do?"

Li Cunli thought for a moment and said, "Even if my elder brother has all kinds of abilities, he can't make any waves in Jin State at the moment. In my humble opinion, I'm afraid he has only two options: flee to the grassland or Liang State."

Li Keyong said naturally: "Wouldn't he find a way to contact you, the new Holy Lord, and ask you to give him a chance to live?"

This statement frightened Li Cunli so much that his scalp went numb. He immediately bowed and said, "I dare not deceive my foster father. Based on my friendship with my elder brother, this is very likely to happen! But, but! My elder brother and I are just personal friends. I only admired his style and style, and I have absolutely no ambition to plot against the country with him! If he dares to come, I will definitely set up a net to bring him to justice!"

"Good." Li Keyong nodded and said, "Since you know your limits, I won't say more to you. You've worked hard all the way, so go down and rest early."

Li Cunli wanted to say a few more words, and of course not to express his loyalty, because saying too much would make it seem fake. He wanted to ask about how to deal with his third brother Li Sizhao, and about the Western Army's unprovoked eastward advance and who to send to appease and stop it. He even wanted to tell him the strategy he had thought of on the way for his reference... However, in the current situation, he could only bow again and leave.

After he slowly stepped back and left, Li Keyong thought for a moment, but inexplicably asked, "How?"

"To be honest with you, foster father, I think that Sixth Brother is loyal to me, and he may still have feelings for Big Brother. As for whether he can kill Big Brother, haha..."

A man came out from the dark room behind the study with his sleeves gathered up. He had the same temperament as Li Cunli, and was equally handsome, dressed like a scholar, and had a fair face and no beard. However, his eyes were closed, as if he was relying on his hearing to identify Li Keyong's location. Compared with Li Cunli's feminine demeanor, he was full of righteousness.

It was none other than Li Cunhui, the eleventh of the Thirteen Guardians and the leader of the Tongwenguan.

As he spoke, he walked over and bowed, saying, "I heard Thirteenth Sister say that when eldest brother was recuperating... Now that I think about it, the one who was recuperating must be fourth brother who was dressed as eldest brother. That is, when fourth brother was recuperating, the affairs of Tongwenguan were all handled by sixth brother. Not to mention, the one who took good care of fourth brother was always sixth brother himself."

At this point, he continued respectfully, "If that's the case, if you say that Sixth Brother didn't know about Big Brother's replacement, I find it hard to believe. According to the relationship between Sixth Brother and Big Brother, if Big Brother wanted to leave Taiyuan secretly without telling his adoptive father, how could he rely on Fourth Brother alone and not entrust Sixth Brother?

To put it another way, compared to the sixth brother, the fourth brother obviously knows much less about the museum affairs. If the sixth brother does not know the inside story, it is only a matter of time for him to find out the truth. And the most important thing is that the eldest brother certainly does not want to cause a rift between him and the sixth brother because of this matter. So I dare to speak frankly, the sixth brother must know about the matter of the fourth brother! "

Li Keyong's expression remained unchanged as he said lightly, "Old Six does have some selfish motives."

"Father, you are wise." Li Cunhui leaned on a cane and bowed slightly. "At the banquet that day, although Father had ordered Thirteenth Sister to kill Fourth Brother who was determined to escape, he still sent a substitute to escape in the appearance of the eldest brother. This was a clever move. Now Sixth Brother and the eldest brother both think that Fourth Brother is not dead. They will subconsciously think that the attention of the government and the public has been attracted by the substitute, so the two are likely to contact or even meet when the opportunity arises... At that time, Thirteenth Sister will lead the Shang Organization to catch them all in one fell swoop."

Li Keyong twirled his beard and said nothing.

Li Cunhui waited for a while, then calmly said, "If my father wants to keep my sixth brother, there are ways. My sixth brother is a very smart person. Even if my eldest brother has some gratitude towards him, he has lost his position this time. Can my sixth brother really abandon his family and career for him? It's just that he can't get over it. If my father trusts me, you can let me do it. I will let my sixth brother know how much my father expects of him. Compared with my father's respect for him, my eldest brother's gratitude is nothing."

In fact, Li Keyong didn't really value Li Cunli, but among the so-called Thirteen Guardians, the few who had some ability were all unclear with Li Siyuan, and the only ones who could stand on their own were Li Sizhao and Li Cunli. Li Sizhao was hopeless and was willing to die for Li Siyuan. He even dared to kill his adoptive father, so what was the point of keeping him?

Li Cunli was indeed different. He was smart, but he knew the situation and was loyal to Li Siyuan. If he was just a fence-sitter, Li Keyong would hate him. It was a pity to let such a person die because of internal strife.

"Then I'll leave it to you." After thinking for a moment, Li Keyong tapped his fingers. In the corner of the room, a man in black who looked like a sculpture came over and leaned over.

"Bring Old Ten here."

The man in black seemed to be a mute and immediately stood up and left.

"The Tenth Brother is mentally retarded and has natural supernatural powers. If it weren't for the Ninth Brother to discipline him, he would be easily exploited by others. Not to mention, all his abilities would be buried. It's a pity that the Ninth Brother disappeared in Hebei and only the eldest brother knows the details. We need someone who can replace the Ninth Brother to discipline the Tenth Brother. Are you sure?" Li Keyong asked while pushing the wheelchair.

Li Cunhui's heart moved and he smiled slightly: "If Brother Nine can do it, then the child can do it too."

It's no wonder that he was in a hurry to make such a boast. You have to know that although Li Cunxiao is stupid, he can reach the top of the world with his brute force. As long as he can be made to obey his orders, he will have a powerful bodyguard from then on. How can he not be tempted?

After the matter was settled, Li Keyong just kept thinking and said nothing. Li Cunhui was delighted, but he remembered an important matter, so he hurriedly asked: "Why did my foster father have to go and comfort the Western Army in person?"

------

"So what if he leaves Taiyuan to appease the Western Route Army?"

In Lanzhou, Li Siyuan, who had already disguised himself to hide his square face and big ears, sneered and said coldly to the bearded and short-haired man in front of him: "Don't forget, the Western Route Army started the uprising in the name of killing me, Li Siyuan of Tongwenguan!"

"According to what the commander said, the Holy Lord was wronged. How could all the officials in Taiyuan not know that they were afraid to speak out because of the power of King Jin?" The short-haired man crossed his chest and said, "Let me tell you, the Holy Lord has been raising his profile for more than ten years and has won over countless scholars. It's not that the Holy Lord has no chance to clear his name."

"Correct the name?" Li Siyuan sneered: "The one who tricked the Western Route Army into entering Taiyuan was not your general?"

"If the commander-in-chief had not encouraged the Western Route Army to revolt, how could the King of Jin have left Taiyuan in person?"

"So what if he leaves Taiyuan?"

"Some things that are not convenient to do in Taiyuan will naturally become convenient after leaving Taiyuan."

Li Siyuan was about to sneer again, but he suddenly shuddered when he heard the words, and then said in astonishment: "The bad commander wants to..."

"It's good that the Holy Lord understands."

Li Siyuan frowned and thought for a long time, then suddenly twirled his beard and squinted his eyes: "If this is done, someone will have to take the blame, right?"

"Someone has to take the blame, but don't worry, Holy Lord. The Marshal can guarantee that this person is definitely not Holy Lord."

"Bad Commander, huh, how can I trust him now?"

"In that case, then the Holy Lord should continue to be a stray dog." The short-haired man stood up and left.

Li Siyuan watched the man leave with cold eyes, seemingly unmoved. However, when he reached the door, he suddenly slammed the table and said, "Stop!"

The short-haired man stopped and looked over, "What do you mean, Lord?"

"I have to know why the bad commander chose me, right?"

"If you want to sideline Li Cunxu in the future, how can you accomplish it without the cooperation of the followers that the Holy Lord has won over the years?"

"Just that?" Li Siyuan was a little surprised.

"Of course." The big man said quickly.

Li Siyuan opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated again and again, and just stood up, clasped his fists and said, "Please allow me to think about it for a while."

"Okay, but time waits for no one. If the Holy Lord wants to join in the fun, I hope you can make a decision quickly. If you miss today, you will miss it."

Li Siyuan forced a smile and went over to see him off in person: "May I ask who you are..."

"Quinn, the bad guy from Taiyuan."

"..." Shi Jingtang watched the so-called Quinn leave, and finally couldn't help but said: "Master Taishan, please think carefully. The bad commander may not have good intentions. Even if the King of Jin leaves Taiyuan, he will surely bring the Ya'er Army with him. How can there be a chance to assassinate him?"

"Do you want me to lead away the guards around Prince Jin?" Li Siyuan couldn't help but ask himself.

"Even if that was the purpose of the bad commander, what will happen after he kills the King of Jin?" Shi Jingtang asked again, "How can Mount Tai be justified?"

Li Siyuan was still twisting his beard and thinking for a long time before he slowly said, "It is true that I may not be able to clear my name, but as long as the King of Jin dies, Jin will continue to have a place for me... even if it means changing my identity."

Shi Jingtang was dumbfounded: "How could the prince give us a chance?"

"Wait!" Li Siyuan frowned, looked at him with dissatisfaction, and said coldly: "Father, don't you know the danger? If you have the opportunity to stay in Jin, do you really want to go to Shuliduo?"

Shi Jingtang sighed deeply and said nothing.

"Besides, even if you want me to bear the name, it's not impossible." Li Siyuan narrowed his eyes, and his voice was inexplicably cold: "Have you contacted my fourth brother?"

"It is said that the Nine Gate Masters have some clues, but it will take time." Shi Jingtang answered at first, then he was suddenly surprised and looked up at Li Siyuan.

"Tarzan wants to...!"

Li Siyuan glanced at him and saw the horrified look on Shi Jingtang's face. He immediately laughed and said, "What are you thinking, my dear son-in-law? How can I be such a heartless person? Forget it, since even my dear son-in-law doesn't think highly of this bad commander, I will just follow your words."

Shi Jingtang laughed awkwardly and wiped the sweat from his forehead, "My son-in-law is just making suggestions, of course, it's up to Taishan to make the final decision."

"At this moment, you and I are one, father and son, so who is in charge?" Li Siyuan stroked his back and said kindly, "It is only appropriate for your father to contact the old members of the Tongwenguan. I am afraid that your son-in-law will have to go there in person."

"I will never refuse even if I die!" Shi Jingtang bowed his head hurriedly.

However, the moment he lowered his head, Li Siyuan's face, which was originally full of smiles, was suddenly filled with coldness.

(End of this chapter)