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

Chapter 428 Shuliduo

The cold wind of December rolled up the snow foam, whipping the glazed tiles of the palace. Under the double-eaved hip roof, Shili Qixiang stood in the middle of the side hall with a bow, her face showing a calmness that was forced to comfort herself, and also an endless fear of the person in front of her, but her arched hand was subconsciously clenched, revealing her nervousness.

Xiao Yan stood in front of the window with his hands behind his back, his back facing her. His simple scarlet robe made his figure look like a deep abyss. His fingertips tapped unconsciously on the back of his hand, tap, tap, tap, and each sound was like an ice pick chiseling into people's hearts.

"Apologize?" Xiao Yan's voice finally sounded, not loud, but like the cold wind blowing through the doors and windows, with a heavy chill. He slowly turned around, his eyes piercing the world, "As you said, to apologize, you mean to use Ao Gu to apologize? Shuliduo... is really a good trick. I haven't argued with her about the Yinshan incident yet, but she gave me a 'big gift' to shut me up? Or do you think that this can make me put aside the past grudges and devote myself to her until my death?!"

As if she could sense the pressing gaze, and even more so the mockery in the words, the defense that Shili Qixiang had been trying so hard to maintain suddenly collapsed. She immediately prostrated herself, her forehead pressed against the cold floor tiles, and said in a hoarse voice: "Replying to the Khan, the Queen Mother knows that the trip to Yinshan has failed the Khan's trust. This is not an excuse, but what I really think."

"From the bottom of my heart?" Xiao Yan had no expression on his face. He walked closer, his shadow almost covering Shili Qixiang. "Then why didn't she tell me how big a flag Yelu Lage, that loser, has raised on her grassland?"

As he spoke, he suddenly stopped one step in front of Shili Qixiang, his breath was pressing, "Diela, Yishi... they are just a bunch of clowns, but they are in such a state. Holding the King of Mobei in their hands and being the Queen Mother, if they can't even clean up their own backyard, how can she, Shuliduo, have the face to talk to me about trust? Talk about apology?"

Shili Qixiang felt that the gaze was like a real ice needle, which made it almost difficult for her to breathe. She took a deep breath, suppressed the humiliation and chill that surged, and tried to speak steadily, but with an imperceptible difficulty: "The Khan is wise. It is not that the Queen Mother did not report it, but the information is not clear at the moment. How can a stray dog ​​like Yelu Lage threaten the grassland? There are rumors that the one who helped Yelu Lage was Qi Wang Li Maozhen... The former still has some power, and the latter is indeed outstanding in martial arts. The two of them gathered with people with ulterior motives before, and indeed caused trouble. However, the Queen Mother is in charge of the royal court, and the foundations of various tribes are still stable. The rebels are just a minor problem. As for sending Aogu to Bianjing this time..."

She paused for a moment, raised her head, and looked at me earnestly. "It is the Queen Mother who wants to use me, the daughter of the gods and the most noble symbol of Mobei, to show her sincerity in renewing the friendship between the two families. There is no wavering at all! I also hope to use this to wash away the mistake of Yinshan and regain the trust of the Khan! The two thousand Dingba cavalrymen of General Yuan beside Dading Prefecture are the most solid foundation of the alliance between the two families. The Queen Mother has never forgotten the former Khan's divine power and the power of Ding Grassland!"

"Trust?" Xiao Yan was still not unmoved, but he just uttered a short cold laugh, then calmly sat back in the main seat, and said coldly: "Trust is earned through fighting, not by giving a woman. If your queen mother had not been shaken and given others a handle, how could Yelu Lage have incited people so easily? Internal instability is the way to disaster."

As he spoke, he narrowed his eyes and stood up again: "Prince Qi Li Maozhen is the brother of my wife and my maternal brother. How can I help Yelu Lage, a stray dog? Don't mention this matter again."

Shili Qixiang had obviously received Shuliduo's instructions long ago, and of course she just rested her forehead on the ground and said nothing.

"The people, I will keep them." After a long while, Xiao Yan suddenly spoke, his voice neither fast nor slow, but without any room for maneuver, "But this is the last time. Go back and tell Shuliduo to take the heads of Yelu Lage, Diela, and Yishi, and put them at the gate of Dading Prefecture. Prove that she is still the Shuliduo who I look up to and can shock the grassland for me. Otherwise..."

He paused, and said indifferently, "I don't mind going to take it myself, or replacing it with someone more obedient to guard it. I will certainly not sit idly by and watch the grassland completely fall apart. But I have my own ideas on how to do it and when to do it. Let her stabilize the internal situation first and show her sincerity. This time, I will allow her to use Yuan Xingqin's knife."

Shili Qixiang felt a chill running from her feet to her head. She bowed deeply, her head almost hanging down to her knees: "I... obey the Khan's order! I will report the Khan's order to the Queen Mother without changing a word!"

Xiao Yan no longer looked at her, but waved his sleeves indifferently: "Go away, we will leave tomorrow when the wind and snow stop."

The heavy door closed silently, blocking the suffocating pressure in the side hall. Shili Qixiang left with a cold sweat on her forehead, leaving Xiao Yan alone to ponder for a long time.

But when he returned to the front hall, only Qianwu and the "gift" that had just come out of the wooden box were left.

Yelu Zhiwu had already put on an apricot-colored brocade jacket and skirt with a lotus pattern that was particularly warm. She then looked down at her new outfit. The unfamiliar feeling of restraint on her feet made her feel a little uncomfortable. She subconsciously wanted to take off her boots and step barefoot on the cold floor.

"No." Qian Wu watched from the side, his voice gentle but with unquestionable strength, and he just signaled with his eyes.

Yelu Zhiwu was obedient, just holding the tabby cat that came back and raised her face. She had a very beautiful face, different from the gentleness of the Central Plains women. Her eyebrows carried the openness and purity of the grassland, and her skin was like fresh snow, which made Qianwu feel that she was really a bit divine.

Yelu Zhiwu looked at Qianwu without any sense of alienation, and asked directly in Chinese with a strange rhythm: "Qianwu, my mother said that I want to stay here and live with him. You are a local, is there anything I need to do?"

Qian Wu's expression did not change at all, she just said: "Just stay here and relax, my husband will take care of everything."

"My dear?" Yelu Zhiwu seemed to be thinking about something. After walking a few steps, she saw Xiao Yan striding back from the outside with an expressionless face. He walked like the wind. After seeing Yelu Zhiwu's dress, he subconsciously wanted to raise his eyebrows and nod. However, when he was still a few steps away, he saw Yelu Zhiwu suddenly stopped, and then with the unique frankness of a grassland girl, she naturally called him the name she had just learned.

"Lang Jun?"

She pronounced these two words clearly and naturally, with a slightly rising tone of doubt at the end, as if she was confirming, or as if she was practicing. It was clean and free of any distractions, and as pure as a young eagle spreading its wings for the first time on the grassland.

However, Xiao Yan's footsteps suddenly paused, and then his sharp eyes instantly fixed on Yelu Zhiwu's face.

However, after a few breaths, he stood with his hands behind his back, without responding. He just nodded slightly to Qian Wu, and then without turning back, his figure quickly disappeared behind the heavy curtains leading to the inner study, leaving the main hall in an unusual silence.

Yelu Zhiwu frowned and turned back to look in the direction he left.

Although Qian Wu didn't know the inside story, he just took a step forward calmly, skillfully blocking Yelu Zhiwu's sight of following Xiao Yan's back, and said calmly: "Auntie Ao, follow me."

Although it was a temporary arrangement by Xiao Yan, Qian Wu quickly decided on a place and personally led Yelu Zhiwu to a secluded garden. This garden was an independent courtyard with ancient trees, and it was already outside the Qin Palace.

"You can stay here for a while. Just tell them what you need." Qian Wu pointed at the four maids standing beside them, and then the two Mobei maids from before were also here, all with their brows lowered, looking respectful and natural towards Yelu Zhiwu, without any neglect or alienation.

Yelu Zhiwu did not ask more questions. Her mother had already told her that she should learn more in the Central Plains, and she had always remembered it. She also instinctively felt that this arrangement must have a deep meaning.

So while handing the cat in her arms to Qian Wu, her smart eyes flashed, and she couldn't help but ask directly and purely: "Qian Wu, I just... that's all, can you help me ask him," she paused, her tone was almost stubborn and serious, "Does he still remember that I had a duel with him?"

Qian Wu heard this, and the corners of her lips twitched upwards slightly, as if she couldn't help laughing, but also seemed helpless. She only asked Yelu Zhiwu to keep the cat, promising to arrange for someone to take care of it, and then she turned around and left without saying anything more.

The two Mobei maids looked at each other for a moment, but just sat beside their great shaman who seemed to be in deep thought, without saying a word.

After Qian Wu left, he did not return to the palace immediately. Instead, he went to a secluded room in the outer courtyard, where he saw that all the guards, stewards, and servants who had witnessed Ao Gu's whereabouts had been silently summoned here. There were not many people, more than ten, but they were obviously the core people of the palace.

The door was closed, and the snow outside was very heavy, but there was a charcoal fire inside, which made it particularly warm. Qian Wu stood in front of everyone, his face still serious, but there was no coldness, just calmly said: "Today's matter is a top secret of the palace. It concerns the reputation of the young master, and even more so the diplomatic relations of the country. Whatever you see and hear today, no matter how big or small, you must keep it to yourself. If a word is accidentally leaked to the ears of the princess, the concubine, or any irrelevant people inside or outside the palace..."

Everyone knelt down without even listening to the rest of the words: "We understand! We will follow Madam's orders! We won't reveal a single word even if we die!"

Qian Wu looked at the people crawling on the ground indifferently, and said no more. He turned around and pushed the door open and walked out. The cold wind blew in snow foam, instantly blowing away the solemn atmosphere in the room.

In the study, Xiao Yan pushed open the carved wooden window. The violent snowstorm swept in instantly, blowing his hair flying and his wide-sleeved scarlet robe rustling. The biting coldness hit him in the face, but he just squinted slightly, without any expression.

As long as he thought about it a little, he could easily recall the scene where he and Yelu Zhiwu were looking at each other inside and outside the box just now, and then he naturally thought of Shuliduo, which made him sneer.

In fact, this incident did not embarrass him too much, and he was not even offended. Shuliduo was a mature politician, and her actions had their own reasons.

If you really want to think about it, this can even prove that Shuliduo sincerely admitted her mistake this time. After all, she couldn't fail to understand the meaning of choosing to give her daughter to him instead of others. Even if there may be similar customs on the grassland, the so-called sharing a husband is undoubtedly a heavy humiliation in the heart of a proud heroine like Shuliduo.

When it comes to personal ambition and insight into the subtleties of human nature, Shuliduo is undoubtedly the one who understands Xiao Yan the most. Whether it was the offering of the dragon robe by Youzhou in the past or the sending of the girl now, she always managed to accurately hit the core of Xiao Yan's desire for power in a seemingly unreasonable way and give him the deepest satisfaction. This precise grasp and control of people's hearts is admirable.

But having said that, this matter still made him a little upset no matter what.

He just married the empress... and there is also Xue'er in the mansion, and now there is another hot potato?

Spring! As soon as the snow melts, immediately have Gong Yangzuo bring his personal guards and send her back to me intact. Don't delay for a moment!

The cold wind blew snowflakes onto his face, bringing a sobering sting. He looked to the north, his eyes penetrating the heavy snow, as if he saw the vast and turbulent grassland. Yuan Xingqin's two thousand Dingba Iron Cavalry were like a nail wedged into the heart of Mobei. Their camp was as solid as a rock, and the smoke from cooking was clearly visible on the watchtower of the royal court. This was his silent deterrence and the fulcrum for his control of the situation. "Li Maozhen, Yelu Lage..." Xiao Yan squinted and knocked on the window sill.

If Mobei collapses, Li Maozhen will gain power and will definitely collude with the Jin people, which will cause endless troubles... Li Keyong's death must be closely related to Yuan Tiangang, but since the latter has established Li Cunxu, his plot will not be small. Liang needs to be stable, Shu needs to be safe, the grassland, Yinshan... Although it has not been stated, Shuliduo really cannot be in chaos. Because of this, Xiao Yan temporarily accepted Yelu Zhiwu to calm Shuliduo's heart and stabilize the overall situation of the grassland.

However, when he looked away from the window and passed by the Taiping Sword on the desk and the Qi Wang Sword also hanging on the Lanqi, an inexplicable headache came over him. This matter must not be known to the two women in the back house who were not yet pregnant. Xue'er didn't mention it. She always obeyed him and just ignored it. But the empress who was married in a formal matchmaker, behind her gentle and smiling appearance, there was something extraordinary.

It’s a headache, what a headache!
------

Thousands of miles away, the snow and wind in the Mobei wilderness were even more violent, and the sky and the earth were in chaos, as if a giant beast was roaring.

A group of people and horses struggled to move in a snow pit that was as deep as the horses' bellies. Everyone was wrapped in thick fur, and the horses staggered.

The leader, whose figure seemed particularly thin in the strong wind, tightened the reins from time to time, leaned on the horse, and looked back from time to time despite the force that almost overturned him. The wind and snow blinded his eyes, and all he could see was the rolling, all-consuming paleness. The expectation hidden in that look back was finally crushed by the merciless wind and snow.

The group struggled for another half a day in the desperate trek, but was surrounded by a group of knights on horseback before their destination, which was still hidden behind the snow. Even though the group seemed to be turned into snow sculptures, the horses' mouths and noses were emitting thick white mist and posed no threat. The Mobei knights on horseback were still holding their spears and scimitars, warily scanning the uninvited guests who were traveling in the heavy snow.

"Who are you? Why are you sneaking here from the southwest?" The leader was a strong man from Mobei, but he spoke fluent Chinese. His voice was louder than the roar of the wind and snow, and the spear in his hand was pointed directly at the leader of the group of people.

The latter was wrapped up tightly, but he still tried his best to step forward. After asking the other party and knowing that they were indeed the royal court of Dading Prefecture, he took off his mask, took a deep breath of the icy air, suppressed the fatigue and trembling of his body, and tried to straighten his frozen back. Then he pushed away the attendants who were supporting him, took a step forward, met the other party's fierce eyes, and said loudly: "Shi Jingtang, the special envoy of the Holy Master Li Siyuan of Tongwenguan, is ordered by the Holy Master to bring a valuable gift to meet the Queen Mother. I have a good plan to help the Queen Mother regain the trust of King Xiao!"

He bit the six words "regain the trust of King Xiao" very hard, like throwing a stone, smashing hard into the dead silence of the howling wind and snow.

The leader of the Hu cavalry had a frown on his face, his beard was covered with snow particles, and his eyes were filled with doubt: "Nonsense! What trust strategy? Where is the proof?" He did not put down his spear, but moved closer.

Shi Jingtang was not in a hurry and reached into his arms. However, just as he was about to take out the token, a violent snowstorm with ice particles came like a huge wave and swallowed him up in an instant. The snowstorm blinded him and almost choked him, interrupting his attempt to take the token. But he just tried to keep his body steady, raised his head in the blizzard, and looked through the snow curtain towards the direction of Dading Prefecture, which he had not yet seen. His eyes were as firm as iron, but also tinged with a sense of determination to risk everything.

------

Yudujin Mountain.

The bonfire crackled in the center of the huge felt tent, dispelling the bone-chilling chill, but not the oppression inside. Yelu Lage leaned on a low couch covered with bear skin, his eyes cloudy, and he was a little drunk. Li Maozhen sat on a rough wooden block at the bottom, his back still straight as a pine tree, but his brows were shrouded in lingering gloom. The fake Li sat casually opposite Li Maozhen, holding a wine pot, but his eyes followed the Tatar women dancing under the tent with interest, his posture revealing a deliberate nonchalance.

A spy wrapped in a thick fur coat and with white hair and beard quietly slipped into the big tent, bringing a chill in. He walked quickly to Li Maozhen, leaned over to his ear, and quickly reported a few words in a very low voice.

Although the person's voice was soft, it was like a stone thrown into a deep pool in the not-so-cluttered tent. Yelu Lage was drunk and blurry, and he only heard someone whispering, but the content was unclear. The fake Li opposite him seemed to inadvertently tilt his head and move his ears slightly.

Li Maozhen narrowed his eyes slightly, and his fingers holding the rough wooden bowl tightened for a moment almost imperceptibly. The turbid mare's milk in the bowl shook violently due to the loss of control at this moment, and a few drops spilled, staining his dark robe sleeves.

Although the movement was restored to its original state in an instant, the fake Li saw it clearly, and saw that Li Maozhen's body instantly stiffened as if he was struck by an invisible lightning. His eyes, which were originally as sharp as a knife blade, seemed to have experienced a violent storm in an instant.

First, he was extremely shocked, then he was at a loss, and finally, all the intense emotions settled down, turning into a bottomless complexity and dead silence. This complex feeling is simply indescribable. Immediately, Li Maozhen stared at the jumping bonfire in front of him, as if he wanted to see through the flames. Time seemed to freeze, and only the crackling sound of the burning bonfire echoed in the tent.

Brother Li." The fake Li raised the wine pot at the right time, and his voice was just the right amount of casual, breaking the suffocating silence, "Please."

Unexpectedly, Li Maozhen just snorted coldly, without even looking at the fake Li, and casually put the wine bowl in his hand on the table with a clang. He didn't even wait for Yelu Lage to react, but just stiffly bowed to the main seat, then stood up suddenly, with a few followers, wrapped in cold air, and left the tent without looking back.

"Humph!"

Seeing this, the drunk Yelu Lage suddenly sat up straight, and was furious. He also slammed the wine bowl on the table, and the remaining wine in the bowl splashed everywhere. His face was red, his eyes were wide open, and his chest was heaving violently, but he couldn't find someone to vent his anger on, so he could only hold his anger in his throat and let out a dull gasp.

"Great Khan, what's so strange about this?" Fake Li couldn't help but laugh. He calmly filled a bowl of wine for himself, and walked leisurely to Yelu Lage's low couch with the bowl in hand. He leaned against the table and lowered his voice, as if he was talking about the weather. "A little impatience will ruin a big plan. Although our tribe is powerful now, even a tiger will lie dormant. At this moment, we need to be patient, and we need to rely on Brother Li, a peerless commander. The most urgent task is to integrate the tribes and accumulate thunderous power. When the ice and snow melt in the spring and the time is ripe, we will avenge our blood feud and take back the royal court in one fell swoop. Brother Li has always been like this, with a more aloof temperament, but he is a little lacking in courtesy. The Great Khan is the heroic lord of the grassland, with a broad mind. How can he delay the great cause for such a small matter? When the royal court is restored in the future, the Great Khan will ascend the throne of Mobei and command all the tribes. A mere Brother Li..."

The flesh on Yelu Lage's face twitched violently for a few times, and a fierce light flashed in his eyes. He then raised his head and gulped down the liquor in the bowl. Then he slammed the bowl and said viciously, "Little Brother Li, what you said makes sense!"

The fake Li laughed and raised his bowl in greeting, but his eyes were like a venomous snake, tightly wrapped around every slight muscle tremor and eye change on Yelu Lage's face, and there was only cold ridicule in his heart. After several rounds of drinking, and drinking with a group of nobles and brave generals under Yelu Lage's tent, the fake Li also pretended to be drunk and staggered to leave the tent.

As soon as he stepped into the biting cold wind and snow outside the tent, the drunken and silly look on his face instantly faded, and his eyes were as cold as a knife. He walked a short distance in the wind and snow, and without turning his head, he whispered to a bad guy who was also wearing Mobei clothes and following him silently:
"What news did Li Maozhen hear just now?"

"If my guess is correct, the Empress is pregnant with the child of Prince Qin, Xiao Yan..."

The fake Li paused for a moment, a trace of genuine surprise flashed across his face, and then he narrowed his eyes and pondered for a moment in the snowstorm. Finally, he raised a cold smile without any warmth, and said nothing more, his figure completely disappeared into the snowstorm.

------

In Dading Prefecture, the outline of the new city began to emerge, and the unfinished city walls stood silently in the wind and snow.

The gilded royal tent was filled with warmth. Rich sandalwood rose from the gilded beast furnace, but it could not suppress the faint but stubborn bitter herbal scent.

Shuliduo was leaning on a soft couch covered with a snow-white fox fur. Her hair was tied up high, and a few strands of black hair lazily fell on her temples, outlining the slender and graceful neck line. Instead of looking messy, it added a bit of dangerous laziness to her awe-inspiring demeanor. She held a scroll in one hand, but her eyes seemed to be fixed beyond the pages.

After a moment, she impatiently placed the book on her knees and waved her hands. The trusted maid standing by immediately understood and silently stepped forward to quietly remove the jade bowl with brown medicine residue on it from the table.

The tent was silent for a moment, with only the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire. Shuliduo finally lost interest in reading. She frowned and stood up, stepping barefoot on the thick and soft carpet, and slowly walked towards a fine steel halberd in the tent. On it, a Tang sword with a simple shape and slight scratches was lying horizontally. She stretched out her slender and bony fingers, gently stroked the cold scabbard, and slowly rubbed her fingertips on the hilt of the sword, her eyes deep, and she was silent for a long time.

At this moment, the felt curtain moved slightly, bringing in a hint of coldness from outside the gap. A figure slid into the tent as quietly as a civet cat, wearing two swords on her waist, and her attire was similar to Shili Qixiang. She knelt on one knee and spoke in a very low voice:
"Empress Dowager, the palace guards have an urgent report."

"Xuan." Shuliduo did not turn his head, his voice was flat, his eyes still fixed on the knife.

The heavy felt curtain was suddenly opened, and the biting wind and snow rushed in instantly, diluting the warm fragrance in the tent. A warrior wearing heavy armor and with snow on his shoulders walked in quickly, bringing with him a chill, and knelt heavily on one knee in the center of the king's tent. His face under the helmet was frosted from a long journey, and his voice trembled slightly due to the cold and a certain urgency:
"Your Majesty, a group of people suddenly appeared outside the royal court, claiming to be the special envoy of the Holy Lord Li Siyuan, and the leader is called Shi Jingtang. This person claims... to have a great plan to help the Queen Mother regain the trust of King Xiao, and earnestly requests to see the Queen Mother!"

"The Jin envoy? Shi Jingtang? A strategy to regain trust?" Shuliduo's fingers stroking the hilt of the knife suddenly stopped, and then he turned around abruptly, shooting a sharp gaze at the man. In the tent, you could hear a pin drop, with only the occasional crackling of charcoal fire.

Under the Yin Mountain, if the Ghost King had not descended from the sky on Xiao Yan's orders to stop Li Maozhen, she would have almost been defeated. Li Siyuan and Shi Jingtang fled before she evacuated the Yin Mountain. Before she had time to settle with these two so-called Jin Wang envoys who almost ruined her previous efforts and even left her with nothing, this guy actually dared to come to her again?

Absurd? A trap? Arrogance? Or... is there a truth to this?
She pursed her red lips tightly, and her jaw formed a cold and hard line. In just a short moment, countless thoughts flashed through her mind like lightning. But the shock, anger and coldness revealed in this moment almost suffocated the kneeling warrior.

However, after just a few breaths, the frightening edge receded like a tide. Shuliduo had no expression on her face, and slowly sat back on the soft couch. Her voice was not loud, but it was full of unquestionable determination, and it clearly echoed in the warm and silent golden tent.

"Take him into the city and keep him under strict guard. I want to hear what kind of 'good advice' you have."

Every word was like a bead of ice falling to the ground, chilling and chilling.

(End of this chapter)