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

Chapter 430: Not Losing to Changsun Wuji
In a blink of an eye, it was the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month. After Kaifeng Prefecture arranged for officials and neighborhood leaders to deliver the monthly necessities to the orphans and the elderly in the city, the government completely closed the office and would not reopen until the 7th day of the first lunar month.

In Bianjing, the New Year atmosphere is getting stronger, but it can't hide the bleakness of winter. However, the warmth of this great capital in the Central Plains continues to rise in another place.

On this day, the King of Qin did not ride in a chariot, but led his guards, who were gradually becoming famous in the capital, through the streets and alleys in the light snow to deliver gifts to the families of the fallen soldiers. For the whole morning, the people of Bianjing could see the figures of this young team.

The so-called New Year gifts were not extravagant, but rather very simple, consisting of some firewood and charcoal to keep warm, and just the right amount of millet and yellow rice. The well-equipped guards did not come here to show off their military prowess, but to deliver a token of the King of Qin's personal wishes to the homes of those who died for their country.

What moved the whole city even more was that every household received an extra small gift prepared by the Qin Wangfei and a pair of spring couplets written by the Qin Wang himself. This was beyond everyone's expectations, and for a moment, the whole city was excited and talked about it.

The so-called reorganization had been established only two months ago. Although most of them were still from Hebei, there were also sons of Mobei chieftains, and even Hu people such as the Jurchen and Xi, as well as the Qin Wang Wei who were sent as hostages by the military governors of various places and the princes of the south of the Yangtze River. Because all members were divided into classes and educated in the Military Academy, and they also had the support of the young men commonly known as "Qin Wang Yicong" by the people of Bianliang, they walked briskly and felt proud of it.

All of the Qin Wang Yicong's 1,500-man corps went out in full force and completed their mission before lunch. After escorting Xiao Yan back home and receiving a reward, except for the guards on duty, everyone else was given leave to go home.

In the afternoon, the palace was decorated with lanterns and the atmosphere became more festive. In the warm room, the heating was burning brightly, completely isolating the howling wind and snow outside the window, as if it were a quiet world of its own. The exquisitely carved wooden windows were closed, revealing only the soft halo of candlelight, casting a warm halo on the rosewood square table.

Xiao Yan, who had a rare chance to take a break, had fewer trivial matters to deal with these days, so he excitedly called the Empress, Ji Ruxue, and Qianwu to sit around and play the leaf game. The four holy maidens Miao Chengtian, Xuan Jingtian, Guangmutian, and Yang Yantian stood by, either adding tea or watching the game with a smile. The pavilion was filled with a lazy and warm New Year atmosphere.

Xiao Yan picked up a card, but his eyes seemed to inadvertently pass through the card pool and fell on the empress opposite him. She was only wearing casual clothes today, with her hair loosely tied up. The candlelight reflected her profile, which was as beautiful as jade, calm and gentle.

He flicked the cards with his fingertips and put them into the pool. He looked at his wives and concubines sitting around him and sighed for a moment, but his voice was filled with a leisurely smile: "I am ashamed to say that it is New Year's Eve, and I, the so-called head of the family, am a little at a loss. It has never been so lively in previous years, and I have not been able to take care of everything at once... I neglected it, neglected it."

The empress held a card between her fingers. She did not move immediately after hearing the words. Her eyelashes drooped as if she was considering the pattern on the card for a moment before she calmly played a card, which happened to be the one that Xiao Yan had just played.

She raised her eyes, the candlelight reflected in them, gentle as water, with a perfect smile on her lips: "My husband shoulders the world, toiling day and night, the trivial matters in the backyard should not occupy my husband's mind. The old rules in the mansion are thorough. On New Year's Eve, we worship our ancestors in the ancestral hall, stay up all night to welcome the new year, and prepare a few family banquets to entertain close relatives and ministers. All departments inside and outside the mansion follow the rules. I wonder if my husband has any special rules that he would like to add or subtract?"

Hearing this, Xiao Yan laughed out loud, with a hint of laziness: "Since the old rules are comprehensive, allowing me to be lazy is the best arrangement, there is no way I can add or subtract anything!"

The Empress, Ji Ruxue, and Qian Wu all smiled when they heard this. The Empress nodded slightly and said softly, "Then I will listen to you, my dear."

As they were laughing and talking, under the table, the tip of Xiao Yan's boot lightly rubbed the upper of Ji Ruxue's shoe. Xue'er's fingers holding the cards paused almost imperceptibly, and she quickly glanced at Xiao Yan with a look of helplessness that was both angry and amused. But in the end, she still followed his hint, moved her fingertips slightly, and gently tapped a card into the card pool.

Qian Wu's eyes flickered across Xiao Yan's serious face and Ji Ruxue's slightly red earlobes, and the smile on her lips deepened. She remained calm, and her jade fingers pondered on her cards for a moment, as if after some consideration, she picked up a card, tapped it lightly with her fingertips, and it happened to hit the card pool, which was exactly the good card that Xiao Yan needed urgently.

The empress, who was the best at playing cards and had won several games against Xiao Yan, was very perceptive. Although she did not look down at the world under the table, her eyes slowly slid over Xiao Yan's serious eyebrows, Ji Ruxue's pretending to be calm, and Qian Wu's calm mouth. The gentle smile on her lips deepened instantly, but she just raised her hand leisurely, picked up the celadon teacup on the table, brought it to her lips, and took a sip.

Miao Cheng, who was standing by, watched the king's heart with his eyes wide open, and only the slight lift of his lips silently revealed his familiarity and indulgence with the occasional rogue behavior of his own King Qin.

Xuan Jingtian, who had seen everything, hurriedly turned around to pour tea to hide his uncontrollable smile.

Yang Yantian was completely unaware of the undercurrents under the table, and was only staring at the card game. Seeing Ji Ruxue play a card and Qian Wu "just happened" to feed Xiao Yan a good card, she suddenly became anxious, but due to the occasion, she only frowned slightly, feeling particularly regretful. Guangmu, who was beside her, was gentle in nature. Although he also noticed something strange, he was amused by Yang Yantian's anxious look, and he held back his laughter, and even his cheeks swelled up for a moment.

Xiao Yan was extremely thick-skinned, so he didn't care about these details at all. He made rapid progress by cheating and won several games, thus redeeming himself from his embarrassing image of losing tens of thousands of dollars due to his inferior skills.

In the warm room, the charcoal fire occasionally made a slight crackling sound, the aroma of tea was lingering, the crisp collision of dominoes and the soft laughter of women were intertwined. In this small world, there was a kind of tender warmth that needed no words. Xiao Yan looked at the warm scene in front of him, with his wife and concubines living in harmony and surrounded by maids. The slight confusion in his heart caused by the New Year had long been dispelled by this warm warmth, leaving only peace and satisfaction.

This is his home, his place of belonging.

This moment of tranquility and warmth was a treasure that he had to protect with all his might. However, beneath the heavy satisfaction, there were also some things that Xiao Yan could not ignore.

As evening approached, the card game ended. Xiao Yan pushed the chessboard away contentedly and stood up, with a look of pride on his face. The warmth and laughter in the warm room seemed to fade slightly, but the peaceful feeling in the warm room did not completely dissipate, but just settled down, like warm ashes in a stove.

Several holy ladies bowed and left in turn to prepare for dinner later, but Xiao Yan was silent for a moment. He walked to the desk by the window and took out a memorial and an unopened secret report from the drawer.

There was a moment of silence in the warm room. The gentle smile on the empress's face slowly faded. She placed her hands on her knees and subconsciously and very gently covered her belly, which had not yet shown signs of pregnancy but had already undergone subtle changes. Her fingertips stayed on the soft fabric for a moment, as if she was drawing some kind of strength, or as if she was comforting a silent promise.

Ji Ruxue pursed her lips. Her pregnancy period was even shorter than that of the empress, and there were no noticeable changes. But she was about to get up and leave when she saw Xiao Yan shaking his head, indicating that she didn't need to avoid him. Then she thought for a moment, looked out the window, and spoke as calmly as possible.

"The Privy Council and the Tiance Palace sent us memorials, and there were also letters from Youzhou and Taiyuan. They all said that Li Cunxu sent envoys to pay tribute, and that the request for peace was fake, but the delay was real. There were hidden signs in Taiyuan, and it must be that Yelu Lage and Li Cunxu were sending people to contact each other... Although Li Cunxu was aloof and arrogant, the situation was pressing, and he had no choice but to humble himself and go to the grassland to win over Yelu Lage. So after the spring, there will be a war on the grassland, either openly or secretly."

He stood with his hands behind his back, turned around and looked at the empress: "However, Li Maozhen is still under Yelu Lage's command. If there is any movement on the grassland in the spring, I am afraid that my brother and I will have to face off in battle."

"I have already written to my brother." The empress did not hesitate, nor did she avoid Xue'er and Qianwu who were beside her. She just looked straight into Xiao Yan's deep eyes, "The letter clearly stated that my husband is willing to emulate the sincerity of Emperor Taizong to Zhangsun Wuji, and work together to conquer the world. Unfortunately, I have not received a reply in two months..."

She shook her head gently, her movement carrying a sense of exhaustion as if the dust had settled: "If my brother is obsessed with old grudges and resists stubbornly, blocking my husband's path to rectifying the world and unifying the universe..." At this point, her voice did not tremble at all, nor was it a bit slow: "I only respect my husband's ambition to rectify the world, and I will never regret it even if I die nine times."

These few words were like a heavy hammer, instantly hitting everyone in the room. The empress chose her position without reservation, and in the most decisive way, she showed the path and future she had chosen, just as always.

Xiao Yan was silent for a moment. He chose to mention this matter at this time, not to use the bond of blood relationship to shake her will, but the situation was like a string, stretched to the limit, and there was no room for avoidance.

He did give them a chance. However, the word "world" has always been a melting pot that cannot contain the twin fires. Only when one side burns out can the other side's crown be forged. In this game, it is either life or death, there is no other way.

Thousands of words choked in Xiao Yan's throat, but in the end, they just turned into a silent, solemn nod. This nod was better than thousands of words of promise and understanding, and could soothe people's hearts more than any more words.

Ji Ruxue had been standing quietly beside the empress. At this moment, her lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something comforting or supportive, but in the end, she just put all her worries and silent determination into a step closer to her. On her cold face, there was only unbreakable support for the two people in front of her, like cold stars reflecting the snow, clear and constant.

In the warm room, the stove still emits constant warmth, the fragrance of tea has not dissipated, and even the warmth of home is still there, but in silence, it has been given a deeper and more complex background.

------

Deep in the Yudujin Mountains, the tents of various tribes were scattered in disorder on the snowy plains. Only one camp area was strictly laid out and well-ordered, exuding a coldness that was out of tune with the surroundings.

The tent where Li Maozhen lived alone was not big, with simple furnishings and almost empty space. He was the only one in the tent, and his figure looked particularly desolate in the dim light. He sat alone on a rough wooden stool, with a pot of low-quality mare's milk in front of him that had long gone cold, and a small pile of charcoal fire at his feet that was lingering, flickering and reflecting his well-defined face.

He held a letter tightly in his hand, the edges of which had been rubbed repeatedly until they were soft and hairy. In the dim light, he stared at the words on it with drowsy eyes.

"If my brother returns, Xiao Lang has told the ancestral temple and the heaven and earth that he will follow the sincerity of Emperor Taizong to Changsun Wuji. My brother's talent, strategy and courage are even better than Wuji's in those days. He should be granted the title of Shangzhuguo, Kaifu Yitong Sansi, Tongzhongshumenxia Pingzhangshi, and the position of Sikong, Situ, and Taizi Taishi, and be granted the title of Wei Wang, with a fief of 10,000 households, and the throne will be passed down from generation to generation. Xiao Lang once said: 'The dispute in Fengxiang in the past was caused by the times, and each had his own ambitions, not personal grudges. Brother Maozhen is my wife's closest relative, and he is also the one who should be. Heroes of the world. Today, the country is in turmoil, and we need to work together. How can we allow old grudges to stand in the way, causing our loved ones to be sad and our enemies to be happy? 'All the old members of my Qi country, regardless of the past, will be used according to their talents. Whether it is the Song family or the Li family, all the blood of my family will be protected by Xiao Lang and me, so don't think about it. Brother Wang... You have been on the wrong path for a long time, and you should return to the right path. Don't let the flesh and blood be separated, which will only make future generations regret..." The handwriting was unfamiliar but vaguely familiar. In a trance, he seemed to see the carefree little sister who always held the drawing paper in the Huanyinfang Garden. Those paintings that could never be finished seemed to be shaking in front of him.

But the next moment, the picture suddenly shattered, and what replaced it was her wearing the robes of the King of Qi, with no more childishness between her eyebrows, only majesty and alienation. And her disappointed but extremely heavy voice: "Brother Wang, stop..."

Completely different scenes tore at each other in his mind, and the huge contradiction gnawed at his nerves. He suddenly grabbed the cold wine jug, tilted his head back and took a big gulp. The spiciness and bitterness exploded in his mouth, but he drank it as if it were plain water. His face remained calm, except for the indescribable emotions surging in the depths of his eyes.

"King Qi seems to be quite fond of drinking recently." A smiling voice came from outside the tent, interrupting the dead silence. Fake Li held a pot of wine and approached the tent surrounded by his followers. Before he arrived, his voice came first: "It's boring to drink alone. You and I are like sharing weal and woe. Can we have a drink together on New Year's Eve?"

The followers behind the fake Li did not follow in, and he himself just leaned in the shadow beside the tent, looking at Li Maozhen's expressionless face, which looked like a stone sculpture, with interest.

Li Maozhen ignored him and just glanced at him, saying indifferently, "If you have something to say, just say it. Don't beat around the bush."

The fake Li didn't care and walked forward, his boots making a slight sound on the carpet. He stopped not far in front of Li Maozhen and spoke in a casual tone.

"The wind outside the Great Wall always smells like rust. If it blows for a long time, your bones will ache." Fake Li sighed slightly, as if he felt the same way. "It's not like the wind in Qidi. Although I have only been in Fengxiang for half a year, I can still feel that there are four distinct seasons there. In spring, even the weeping willows beside the palace walls are particularly graceful."

He paused for a moment, observing Li Maozhen's reaction, then found a random place to sit down and continued, "I heard that Xiao Yan... Oh, he is now called the King of Qin. I heard that after the King of Qin conquered Qi and Shu, he was able to command the former Qi people as easily as if they were his own arms. It was very smooth. He is really very capable..."

"It's just that." At this point, the fake Li changed the subject and said, "Brother Li's sister has suffered. People all over the world say that if she hadn't understood the righteousness of the day and personally presented the seal and map to the King of Qi as an empress, how could the King of Qin treat Brother Li's ancestral temple bloodline well and save the lives of everyone?"

His words were calm, as if he was just stating a well-known fact. However, Li Maozhen's fingers holding the wine pot suddenly tightened, and his joints turned blue and white.

The fake Li leaned forward a little, and spoke in a lower voice with emotion: "After all, she is Brother Li's biological sister. In order to save Brother Li and her relatives, for those old people, she used herself... and the State of Qi as bargaining chips." He shook his head slightly, his eyes full of regret.

"Enough." Li Maozhen scolded with a stern face, and the wine in the pot shook violently.

The fake Li pretended not to hear anything, and spoke even more clearly and urgently: "Brother Li, can you really sit here and watch the foundation you built with your own hands become the cornerstone for others to stabilize their empire? Watching your only dear sister, socializing in that position, getting pregnant and bearing a child for this man, just to maintain this fragile and ridiculous future that was exchanged for the Qi Kingdom?"

Li Maozhen suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with coldness, and stared at the fake Li without saying a word.

The fake Li met his gaze without fear, but just smiled: "Can the contents of this cup... really extinguish the arrogance in your bones, Qi Wang Li Maozhen?"

The air suddenly solidified.

A dull throat sound, like a huge rock falling into the abyss, came out from between Li Maozhen's clenched teeth. His body, which had been sitting alone, moved instantly.

Fast! So fast that it was beyond the visual perception, and only a blurry afterimage seemed to be left in the tent.

Outside the tent, the faces of several followers brought by the fake Li changed drastically. They felt a flash before their eyes, and a fierce murderous aura had already penetrated through the tent. Several people instinctively pressed their hands on the hilts of their knives, their muscles tensed, and they were about to rush into the tent.

The next moment, a huge hand as cold as iron emerged from a venomous snake's hole, grabbing the fake Li's throat without any warning, and then slamming his entire body against the cold and hard wall of the tent.

The muffled sound of the collision echoed in the small space, shaking the charcoal fire to a sudden dim. The fake Li's face instantly turned red and purple due to suffocation, his eyeballs bulged, and he could only make a "ho ho" sound of futile struggle in his throat. His hands instinctively scratched the arm around his neck that was motionless and like an iron hoop.

The followers outside the tent clearly heard the muffled sound and the strange sounds of the fake Li struggling. The leading follower had a heavy expression on his face, and he had already pulled out the knife half an inch with one hand. He took a step forward and was about to break through the curtain and enter.

At this critical moment, a pair of emotionless two-colored eyes suddenly swept through the gap in the felt curtain. This gaze was like a real cold blade, instantly penetrating the barrier of the felt curtain and nailing the leading follower.

The man was like being soaked by invisible ice water, his whole body froze, and his hand that was about to draw the knife stopped in mid-air, not daring to move forward. The pure murderous intent contained in his eyes and the absolute pressure as if looking at an ant made him feel as if he was being stared at by a prehistoric beast, and at that moment even his breathing stopped.

Li Maozhen's face was close at hand, and his eyes turned and locked onto the fake Li's dying face. There was no violent anger in it, only a pure, cold killing intent. Li Maozhen's breath didn't even become heavy, but his chest rose and fell slightly.

The tent was dead silent, with only the fake Li's dying struggle and the faint crackling of the charcoal fire.

"If you say one more word..." Li Maozhen's voice was so low that it seemed as if every word was filled with a strong smell of blood, "I will immediately twist off your dog head and sacrifice it to the flag."

Time seemed to freeze. A few breaths later, just as the fake Li's eyes went dark and his consciousness was about to fade, the hand that was strangling his life loosened without any warning, and the force was withdrawn cleanly and neatly.

The fake Li fell heavily on the felt carpet like a piece of rotten wood, curled up, holding his neck and coughing and retching heart-wrenchingly, greedily swallowing the cold air, and every breath was accompanied by a burning pain.

Li Maozhen didn't even look down at him. He slowly withdrew his hand, his knuckles slightly white from the force he had just exerted. He put his hands behind his back indifferently, as if the thunderous blow that had come without any warning had never happened. Only the chill that permeated his body and almost froze the air proved that the killing intent just now was real. His cold eyes swept over the disheveled fake Li on the ground again, as if he was looking at a pool of filth.

"Get lost." Li Maozhen's voice was calm, but it carried an unquestionable pressure that clearly penetrated the cough of the fake Li. "I will make my own decisions on how to act. It is not your turn to sow discord and anger me."

After saying this, he no longer looked at the fake Li Xingyun, and walked towards the tent entrance with steady steps, with his usual aloofness and indifference. Before opening the heavy felt curtain, he paused, without looking back, and added in a hoarse, broken tone that seemed to have exhausted all his vitality but was unquestionable: "If you come to bother me again before the beginning of spring..."

The felt curtain fell heavily, isolating the inside and outside. Li Maozhen's tall figure was soon swallowed up by the howling wind and snow.

The followers outside the tent were as if they had been pardoned, and the leader immediately opened the curtain and rushed in. They saw the fake Li still curled up on the ground, the purple finger marks on his neck were shocking, and he was still panting and coughing violently.

"Help... Help me up." The fake Li's voice was hoarse, but it had an indifferent tone, and he even laughed softly and intermittently. The two followers then strode forward and carefully lifted him up.

The fake Li was carried and walked out with weak steps. When he passed the door, he glanced at the closed and lonely tent. The corners of his mouth opened into a silent, malicious arc, and a meaningless hoarse sound came out of his throat, which sounded like laughter, but also like the aftermath of being strangled. He was half-supported and half-helped by his followers and quickly led away from this dangerous area.

Only when they were far away from Li Maozhen's tent, in a corner of the tent that was sheltered from the wind, did the followers dare to stop and take a breath. The fake Li broke free from the support, leaned against the cold felt wall, and raised his hand to gently stroke the hideous bruises on his neck. The pain on his face and the indifferent smile had long disappeared, leaving only the cold and piercing pride.

"Very good..." He whispered, his voice as soft as the whisper of wind and snow, but it was clearly heard by his followers. "Tell the commander that Li Maozhen has indeed begun to waver as he expected."

The snowstorm whimpered as it rolled through the camp, completely drowning out his whispers. The dark night of the grassland seemed even darker and more bizarre because of the crack deep in people's hearts that was forcibly torn open and then tightly suppressed.

(End of this chapter)