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

Chapter 444 A great shame and humiliation

The cold light struggled to penetrate the thick frost that had formed on the window frames, sparingly spilling into the room. In the air, the bitter smell of medicine intertwined with the warmth emanating from the charcoal fire, yet it could not mask the faint, lingering stench of blood.

Li Cunren's consciousness struggled to rise like a sinking ship. The stinging pain throughout her body, mixed with the fresh blood seeping in, dragged her desperately between reality and a bizarre nightmare, a struggle that lingered, unable to regain consciousness. She laboriously moved her eyes, her blurred vision finally focusing.

In a sudden, primal instinct jolted her awake. Cold sweat instantly soaked through her undergarments, clinging coldly and stickily to her back.

Her body reacted faster than her mind. She sprang up abruptly, the violent movement aggravating her injury, her vision suddenly went black, and a metallic, metallic taste rose in her throat.

Her body convulsed violently from the excruciating pain, but she paid no heed. She was oblivious to the fact that the mask that had always covered her face was gone, leaving her scarred, pale face exposed to the cold air. She simply frantically groped around with her hands at her sides and in her bosom.

No! The boundless emptiness was like ice water poured over her head, instantly freezing all her senses.

The tiger tally, the imperial seal... they've all disappeared?!
Extreme terror and despair gripped her heart instantly, almost suffocating her. Her godfather's tall yet weary figure before his death, and his sharp, knife-like eyes as he gave his last instructions, flashed alternately in her chaotic mind.

"How can I explain this to my adoptive father?! How can I report back to the Crown Prince?!"

The thought struck like a thunderbolt, exploding in Li Cunren's chaotic mind and shattering her remaining rationality. She had to return to Taiyuan immediately... to Taiyuan immediately!

The curtain was silently lifted by a corner, and a figure slipped in quietly.

Bago's eyes were complicated, and her face no longer showed any signs of injury. Seeing Li Cunren struggling desperately, she rushed to the bedside and pressed down hard on Li Cunren's shoulders.

"Don't move." The voice was cold and hard, carrying a strange force that pierced straight into Li Cunren's chaotic consciousness. "If the wound reopens, you will die, and your dying wish will truly become a dead thing."

The cold touch and words caused Li Cunren's struggle to freeze for a moment. His unfocused gaze struggled to focus, and he finally saw the person in front of him clearly, followed by a deeper sense of astonishment.

"Bago?" The initial shock was instantly replaced by an even greater surge of fear. Li Cunren's hoarse voice was almost cracking with urgency, "Where is this?! Where are the tiger tally and the seal?! Who did you give them to?!"

She desperately grabbed Bago's arm, which was pressing against her shoulder, her fingers digging deep into the fabric like a drowning person grasping at a last piece of driftwood. "They concern the Prince of Jin's dying wish to the Crown Prince. They must not fall into Li Siyuan's hands! Where...where exactly is this place..."

The excruciating pain in her ribs felt like a raging fire, each breath bringing even deeper torment, but Li Cunren's hands gripped Bago tightly as if cast in iron, as if it were the only pillar holding her crumbling world together.

Bago let her hold him, his arm aching but he didn't budge. She remained silent, not uttering a word.

At this moment, Li Cunren suddenly realized the strange presence in the room and immediately turned to look, his face pale.

By the window, a figure in a blue robe stood with his hands behind his back. The twilight cast a dark edge on his tall, straight silhouette, isolating him from the warmth of the room, as if he were in another world.

Li Cunren's pupils constricted sharply as fragments of memory surged back in an instant: the chase, the blizzard, the desperate situation in the Taihang Mountains, the blood-written letter sent to Bago...

Overwhelmed by immense panic and urgency.

She struggled to get up, the excruciating pain of her tearing wound making her vision blur, and cold sweat soaked through her undergarments again. Bago hurriedly pressed her down again: "Thirteenth Sister, you mustn't! Your injuries are extremely serious; if His Highness hadn't personally intervened..."

The figure by the window slowly turned around. Xiao Yan's face was blurred in the backlight, but his eyes calmly and steadily gazed at Li Cunren, who was on the verge of collapse on the bed.

"Thirteen Protectors, do not worry, the Prince of Jin's belongings are in a safe place."

This calm announcement only intensified Li Cunren's panic. She might have already guessed the newcomer's identity, and because of this, a chill ran from her feet to her head, turning her face ashen. She no longer looked at Xiao Yan, but gripped Ba Ge's arm tightly, her voice filled with an almost desperate stubbornness: "I want to go back to Jin..."

Bago bit his lower lip and repeated, "Thirteenth Sister, you are safe now, and the Prince of Jin's relics are also safe."

"I want to go back to Jin." Li Cunren, his face pale, still stubbornly insisted.

A faint laugh came from the side. "Return to Jin? Are you in a hurry to die, or are you eager to let that dying wish fall into Li Siyuan's hands, so that he can kill you with a legitimate reason, and then lie low as 'Li Cunren' to continue plotting how to seize Li Cunxu's throne?"

Li Cunren froze, looking at Xiao Yan in bewilderment.

Bago sighed and explained, "Li Siyuan faked his death to escape, and then infiltrated the Crown Prince's side as the Fourth Sect Master, using the Sixth Sect Master to continue controlling the Tongwen Hall. His pursuit of you and me is to seize the dying wish and silence us. If you want to go back, you'll be playing right into his hands."

She paused for a moment, making sure that what she was about to say wouldn't overwhelm Li Cunren, before briefly recounting her experiences from a few days ago. Then she concluded, "If it weren't for Your Highness, you and I would have already perished in Taiyuan, and that dying wish would never have seen the light of day. Li Siyuan would have been able to continue deceiving the Crown Prince with that scoundrel, making enemies of the Prince of Qin, using others to do his dirty work, and step by step... sidelining the Crown Prince."

Li Cunren murmured to herself, and countless past doubts and the relentless, mad pursuit instantly connected into a clear thread. She suddenly raised her head, ignored Bago's advice, struggled to climb off the bed, and then kowtowed deeply to Xiao Yan.

"I implore the King of Qin to execute Li Siyuan and avenge the King of Jin..."

Bago stood aside with a complicated expression. Of course, she knew that Xiao Yan would not easily kill Li Siyuan at this moment. Moreover, from Xiao Yan's point of view, why should he avenge Li Keyong?

Li Cunren clearly understood this instantly and hurriedly added, "Li Siyuan's life or death is merely a matter of Your Highness's will. Killing him wouldn't even require the Prince of Qin to dirty his hands. I am willing to spend the rest of my life as a slave, just to exchange for Li Siyuan's death! If the Prince of Qin is willing, my life will be at your disposal from now on!"

Bago stood by, feigning indifference. Undoubtedly, Li Cunren's loyalty to the Jin state was true loyalty.

By the window, Xiao Yan's figure remained as calm as an abyss. He paced slowly, the candlelight casting the outline of his blue robe onto the ground, finally stopping a few steps away from Li Cunren. His gaze did not fall on her humble posture, but instead, with a faint, almost imperceptible smile, he asked, "Even if Li Siyuan dies, what about the Bad Commander? And who will exchange his life for the latter's?"

Li Cunren felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave. Her already severely injured body swayed precariously, and she gritted her teeth as she looked at Bago. Of course, she could guess that Bago had run into trouble when he was ordered to infiltrate Bianliang last year, and it wasn't hard to see that Bago might have already fallen into trouble. But she was too weak to bring it up at the moment, and just looked at Bago with a pleading, struggling, and questioning look in her eyes.

Although he did not speak, his meaning was clear: as a member of the Shatuo tribe, he had been protected and supported by the Prince of Jin for generations. How could he bear to watch the Prince of Jin's foundation be ruined in the hands of Li Siyuan?
Seeing Thirteen Sister, who was usually aloof and devoid of personal emotion, display such a humble and desperate expression, Bago felt a pang of sorrow. However, she did not plead with Xiao Yan as Li Cunren had hoped. Instead, she squatted down, firmly supported her trembling shoulders, and spoke in an unprecedentedly gentle tone.

“Killing Li Siyuan is easy, but it might not disrupt the Grand Marshal’s plans. With Li Siyuan dead, the Grand Marshal could directly interfere with the Crown Prince. On the other hand, with you here, even if he returns to Jin, he will be hesitant to act rashly. Even if the Grand Marshal is secretly plotting something, he won’t dare to act rashly. Moreover…” Bago lowered his voice, “Given Li Siyuan’s ruthlessness and unscrupulousness, Your Highness could certainly use him to turn the tables and ruin the Grand Marshal’s plans…”

Li Cunren clenched her fists and trembled. She immediately understood the meaning behind Bago's words. Indeed, as Bago said, keeping Li Siyuan alive or even sending him back to Jin would actually deter him from acting recklessly, giving the Crown Prince more room to maneuver. The Bad Commander's plan to sideline the Crown Prince would also be temporarily thwarted.

But if Li Siyuan doesn't die, he will ultimately be a knife that Xiao Yan has plunged into the State of Jin, and this knife will then cruelly rip out the flesh and blood of the State of Jin at the most critical moment, leaving the State of Jin weak and powerless.

The latter is probably the result that the King of Qin wanted.

Thinking of this, her adoptive father's dying words—that five-tenths of the world's affairs lay with Xiao and three-tenths with Jin—intertwined with the reality that her heir, Li Cunxu, might be kept in the dark by his ruthless elder brother, gradually heading towards destruction… The immense pain and inner conflict seemed to tear her apart. Her instinct for loyalty compelled her to immediately deliver the dying wish to the King of Jin, but cruel reality declared it a path to certain death, perhaps even handing the dying wish to her enemy and hastening Jin's demise. But if she did nothing, Jin was doomed to perish sooner or later.

"Then...what should we do?" Li Cunren's voice was hoarse, filled with despair and bewilderment. "Let his dying wish be tarnished? Let my adoptive father's painstaking efforts be in vain? Let the State of Jin be destroyed by treacherous villains?!"

There was one more thing she forced herself to say: "Are we just going to sit idly by and watch this King of Qin use the sword of my Jin state to slowly and painstakingly kill my people, piece by piece?"
"Unification in chaotic times is an inevitable trend." Xiao Yan spoke these words calmly, as if he understood them perfectly, even before Li Cunren uttered them. "Even without Li Cunren, the fall of Jin to me was only a matter of time. His existence merely accelerated this process. Individual struggles within this torrent..."

His gaze swept over the emaciated Li Cunren on the ground. "Whether it's you, or the already dead Li Keyong, or anyone else, in my eyes, they are all futile."

Li Cunren suddenly looked up, and a few drops of color actually appeared on his pale face, but this was clearly not normal; it was caused by anger.

However, Xiao Yan clearly wouldn't say much to Li Cunren, but simply said calmly, "Whether you hate me, are angry with me, or want me dead, that's your own business. But you also need to remember that I gave you a chance, a chance for you to survive and avenge yourself instead of dying in Taiyuan. Of course—"

Xiao Yan glanced one last time at Li Cunren, whose face was ashen and eyes were empty, sneered, and turned away with his hands behind his back. "If you want revenge, you'll have to survive first."

Looking at Li Cunren, who seemed to have lost all his energy, Bago sighed and helped him back onto the bed. Whether he was already heartbroken or something else, Li Cunren simply let Bago do as he pleased.

In this situation, what else could Bago say? She wasn't the kind of person who was good at comforting others, so she just whispered, "Thirteenth Sister, please focus on recovering from your injuries. Right now, living is more useful than dying."

Seeing that Li Cunren was not responding with his eyes closed, and of course, his actions and emotions had already exhausted his last bit of strength, Bago said no more, gave a wink to the two maids in the room, and turned to leave.

Just then, a very weak, almost inaudible voice came from behind.

"How can I persuade him to kill Li Siyuan? Is it possible, like you did?"

Bago's steps abruptly halted, her back stiffening for a moment. She didn't turn around or answer, but simply lifted the curtain and walked out.

The curtains fell, cutting off the last ray of light. Li Cunren lay frozen on the cold bed, the excruciating pain in her ribs still lingering, but a deeper chill crept in from the depths of her heart—a despair and torment spreading through her. Loyalty versus survival, her adoptive father's dying wish versus the cruel reality, like two immense forces, pinned her firmly to this small space, unable to move.

Her face was pale, and only then did she seem to remember, weakly touching the crisscrossing scars on her face, before finally giving a self-deprecating smile.

After leaving the clinic with a sense of loss, Bago saw Xiao Yan standing with his hands behind his back in the corridor. He immediately felt a chill and silently walked up to him, saying awkwardly, "Your Majesty, Thirteenth Sister is not..."

“It’s only human nature. In this world, there are always people who have their own principles.” Xiao Yan raised his hand to stop her from speaking, then calmly continued, “I don’t ask Li Cunren to be loyal, I just want her to live. If her heart is so devoted to the Jin Kingdom, she will surely see this place as a prison in the long run. If she takes her own life here, and the lives that I, hundreds of loyal and brave men, have saved are lost in her own hands, that would be truly disappointing… Keep a close eye on her.”

Bago dared not be negligent in the slightest and immediately bowed respectfully: "This servant understands. Even if I die ten thousand times, I will never let Thirteen Niang ruin Your Highness's grand plan."

Xiao Yan nodded slightly, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment. He reached out and gently stroked Bago's exotic and wild face with the back of his fingers, a hint of approval in his voice: "I believe you."

Bago felt his skin suddenly burn from the touch, his earlobes felt like they were on fire, and his heart skipped a beat, almost bursting out of his chest. He could only force himself to lower his head.

Meanwhile, outside Zhenzhou City, inside the central command tent of the Jin army camp, the air was as still as lead. The flickering firelight from the charcoal brazier cast an unpredictable glow on a face distorted by suppressed emotions.

On the ground, a fine porcelain bowl shattered, its dark brown medicinal liquid splashing out and winding into a stain on the cold floor, a bitter smell permeating the air. The raging anger churning within him, along with the unforgettable humiliation of days before, had been like a venomous snake's tongue, repeatedly licking at Li Siyuan's internal organs.

Xiao Yan's eyes, looking down at him as if he were an ant or a speck of dust, his calm yet seemingly mocking "Innocent," and the image of him being forced to kowtow in the snow and mud, were constantly gnawing at his every nerve.

"boom!"

Another heavy punch slammed down on the thick pine table in front of him. Wood chips flew everywhere, and the table groaned under the weight, cracking open with a deep fissure. Li Siyuan suddenly looked up, his bloodshot eyes like those of a trapped beast facing certain death, staring intently at Li Cunzhong, who stood anxiously to the side.

"Xiao Yan has humiliated me so much, I, Li Siyuan, swear I will not be a man if I do not avenge this!"

He breathed heavily, his chest heaving. "Immediately, send a secret message to Shi Jingtang. The Northern Desert Plan must be launched ahead of schedule, at all costs!"

He took a step forward, almost touching Li Cunzhong's face, his distorted features appearing particularly ferocious in the flickering firelight: "Warring in the dead of winter is certainly a matter of life and death. But tell him that we have no way out, the northern desert is our only way to survive. We must let Yelü Lage's rebellion burn even brighter on the grasslands! Quickly! Quickly!"

Li Cunli, who was holding the brush, trembled slightly, and the ink from the brush tip dripped onto the snow-white letter paper, spreading into a dark stain.

He frowned and looked at Li Siyuan: "Brother, think twice. The will is now in Xiao Yan's hands, just like a sword hanging over our heads. If we stir up trouble in the northern desert now, and we anger Xiao Yan, he may make the will public or hand it over to the Prince of Jin... We are afraid that we will be crushed to pieces and never recover in an instant."

He paused slightly, then continued, “Xiao Yan said I was ‘loyal to Jin’ and that ‘enduring humiliation is the greatest loyalty’… These are clearly words to attack my heart, a trap set for me. He is trying to sow discord between us, or even the Prince of Jin. In my humble opinion, why not contact the Bad Commander first for instructions? The northern desert is also related to his plans…”

"Request instructions? Wait? Wait to die?!" Li Siyuan suddenly turned his head, his gaze instantly locking onto Li Cunli, and let out a series of chilling laughs. "Now it's a matter of fighting for survival!"

He took a few steps closer to Li Cunli, the overwhelming pressure making it almost impossible for Li Cunli to breathe. Li Siyuan's low voice carried a desperate, mad glint in his eyes.

"The dying wish rests in Xiao Yan's hands; you and I are lambs to the slaughter. Must we simply wait for the executioner's blade to fall? The northern desert is our only way out. If Shi Jingtang succeeds, helps Yelü Lage overthrow Shuliduo, and takes control of most of the northern desert… we can use the power of the grasslands to set things right! With the northern desert as our ally, we will have the qualifications to contend with Xiao Yan and the Bad Commander. Even if I were to face that scoundrel Li Cunxu directly, I would have a chance. This is my only hope for survival! Write!"

The final screech echoed through the deathly silence of the tent, carrying an undeniable and resolute tone. Li Cunli's face was grim, while Li Cunzhong beside him remained silent with unease.

Under Li Siyuan's gaze, Li Cunli sighed and began to move his pen laboriously across the paper.

"My father has already used the identity of my fourth brother to gain Li Cunxu's trust and is now secretly infiltrating the Jin government."

“My dear son-in-law is temporarily residing in the northern desert, lying in wait for spring, hoping to coordinate an attack from within and without… But now the situation has changed drastically, and the precarious situation is as fragile as a pile of eggs. The traitor Xiao holds the late king’s last will and testament as if he were holding my throat. The sharp blade is already in his hand, and my life hangs by a thread.”

"The original plan must be launched ahead of schedule. At all costs, we must encourage Yelü Lage to launch a swift attack on the royal court. We must provide him with the intelligence he needs, win over key tribes, or find ways to weaken Shuliduo's forces. We must make sure that war breaks out across the grasslands, keeping Shuliduo busy and unable to attend to anything else, thus creating a good opportunity for Yelü Lage to sweep across the grasslands."

"This is a matter of life and death, concerning our very lives and the future of the Jin Kingdom. Act now! Act now!"

The secret message was quickly and quietly delivered into the leaden sky by a falcon. Li Siyuan stood outside the tent, letting the cold wind whip his disguised hair, his gaze fixed on the falcon that quickly turned into a small black dot on the horizon until it disappeared completely.

His clenched fists turned white at the knuckles, and his eyes were filled with a desperate, cold glint and a morbid yearning to turn the tide. He didn't turn around to look at Li Cunli or Li Cunzhong behind him, because he himself knew that this was a high-stakes gamble, the stakes being everything he had, and even the future of the entire Jin Kingdom.

(End of this chapter)