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

Chapter 473 The Emperor (Part Two)

As dawn broke, the wind, carrying the lingering stench of blood and bits of grass, swept past with a mournful howl.

Xiao Yan stood on a high slope with a wide view, a dark cloak casually draped over his armor, his gaze calmly sweeping across the distance.

The lights in the remnants of the Jin army's camp were sparse and dim, like candles flickering in the wind, while below the high slope, the campfires of their own troops, where they were resting, twinkled and spread out. Further away lay the ravaged battlefield left by yesterday's fierce battle, a blurry dark red against the grey sky.

A steady, unhurried sound of horses' hooves approached from afar, finally stopping at the foot of the slope. Xiao Yan did not turn around, as if he had expected it, his gaze still fixed on the faint light on the horizon, lost in thought for a long time.

Li Maozhen dismounted, tossed the reins to Shi Jingtang beside him, and walked alone up the hill. The fierce battles and the long night's journey had made his robes look old and worn, with several tears and mud stains, but he still wore them neatly.

He stopped three steps away from Xiao Yan, but did not bow. His posture remained as upright as ever, and his heterochromatic eyes appeared particularly deep in the dim morning light, carrying a hint of scrutiny, as well as a calmness as if he had shed some kind of burden.

“Your Majesty, you are in high spirits,” Li Maozhen said, his voice hoarse and weary, breaking the silence of the hill. His gaze was also fixed on the silent battlefield below. “The great battle has just ended, the corpses are not yet cold, yet you are here to gaze at the stars and the wilderness… Such a mindset is indeed not that of an ordinary person.”

Xiao Yan slowly turned to the side, his face showing no surprise. After a moment's thought, a faint smile appeared on his lips: "Your Highness, did you come here to see the aftermath of this battle?"

Li Maozhen remained silent for a moment, the morning breeze ruffling the hem of his tattered robe. When he spoke again, his voice was even lower: "I've come to bother you not for military matters. There are a few words I'd like to say to you..." He paused, turning his gaze to Xiao Yan, "...I want to talk to you about them."

Xiao Yan nodded slightly, his eyes showing even deeper understanding. He put his hands behind his back and looked again at the eastern horizon that was gradually being tinged with light, and slowly said, "I have a vague idea of ​​what the Prince of Wei wants to say. It has only been a little over a year since we parted in Fengxiang, and now we meet again in the northern desert in such a state. The world changes, and it is indeed hard to predict... If the Prince of Wei has anything on his mind, please speak freely."

A brief silence followed.

A cold wind swept across the hilltop, ruffling the clothes of the two men and also lifting a few strands of white hair from Li Maozhen's temples.

Li Maozhen gazed at the horizon bathed in the morning light, lost in thought for a moment. A complex mix of emotions surged in his eyes, but ultimately dissipated into a barely audible sigh, vanishing into the wind.

“I have come here not to seek credit or reward, nor to covet the position of ‘Changsun Wuji’ promised by Yun Ji in her letter. Those promises and riches are nothing but illusions and fleeting clouds to me, and are no longer worth mentioning.”

His gaze swept past Xiao Yan and landed on the vast wilderness, gradually being bathed in the morning light. It was as if through it he saw a wider world, and his own past of half a lifetime of military campaigns and vying for supremacy.

Clashing swords and iron horses, banners obscuring the sun, palaces crumbling, blood flowing like rivers...

"I, Li Maozhen, have spent half my life vying for supremacy. What have I sought? Nothing more than the foundation of the Qi Kingdom and the glory of the Song family. Yet the fate of the world has already been turned upside down in your hands. Since you took control of Bianliang, seized the Liang Dynasty, annexed Hebei, pacified the grasslands, and pacified Qi and Shu... the palaces of Fengxiang and the mountains and rivers of Qi are all in your hands. With all this, how could I not know that I have long since lost the right to compete with you for the world? The defeat at Fengxiang was not a fault of war, but rather a matter of fate and popular support. It all comes down to you, Xiao Yan. My defeat was not unjust."

He paused, then continued in a calm tone: "My past actions—fighting for the foundation of the Qi Kingdom, searching for the secret of Longquan, even running away to the grasslands in a fit of pique, supporting fools like Yelü Lage… upon closer examination, it was all due to the word 'unwillingness.' Unwilling to let this empire fall into Zhu Wen's hands, unwilling to let the foundation of the Qi Kingdom be handed over to others in my hands, unwilling… to have lived a mediocre life, wasting my life."

Xiao Yan stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the sky, listening quietly.

Li Maozhen's gaze refocused on Xiao Yan, and he walked over to Xiao Yan's side. He didn't look at the latter, nor did he look at the sky. He simply continued frankly, "You have done what I wanted to do but failed to do. End the chaos and rebuild the world... I now understand the weight of these eight words."

The mountain wind seemed to stop at that moment.

Xiao Yan listened quietly, his face devoid of the arrogance of a victor or the deliberate respect of a worthy opponent. He deeply empathized with this sense of injustice; it was a mark that no ambitious and aspiring soul in such a chaotic world could escape.

He simply chuckled: "The so-called great achievements of a thousand years are nothing but passing through. As for recreating the world, it is still too early to say. However, King Wei's ability to see through the word 'unwillingness'... this enlightenment far surpasses mine."

After hearing Xiao Yan's words, Li Maozhen was slightly taken aback. His expression seemed to ripple briefly before calming down. He then gave a self-deprecating smile, and after taking a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind, he looked at Xiao Yan again. His calm voice suddenly became extremely solemn, even carrying a barely perceptible, almost pleading tone.

"I have now given up my life, relinquished all past obsessions and grudges, not out of fear of your military might, nor for the sake of a life of dishonor. I ask for only one thing, and I hope the King of Qin will grant it..."

Xiao Yan finally turned around, his gaze calmly falling on Li Maozhen, his eyes half-closed: "Please speak, Prince Wei."

“Xiao Yan. The matter between Yun Ji and you is a fait accompli. The child she is carrying is my own nephew, but what I am talking about is not this matter.”

Li Maozhen paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully, each syllable uttered with remarkable clarity: "The Kingdom of Qi is the culmination of half my life's work with Yunji, and the people and soldiers of Qi have followed my siblings for many years, enduring countless wars, seeking nothing more than peace. As the ruler, I believe you will treat the world and the Kingdom of Qi with kindness. However, there is one thing I am willing to exchange my own life for your promise..."

He stepped forward, his eyes fixed intently on Xiao Yan's.
"I am not exaggerating. Throughout history, those who have sat on the highest throne, wielding power for a long time, rarely remember their original intentions. Many more have had their initial passions tarnished. Looking through history, the youthful fervor of many has ultimately cooled beneath the lonely throne. Now that the world is about to be settled and a new dynasty is established, I ask for nothing more than that you, upon ascending to the throne, wielding the power of life and death, become the true Son of Heaven, suspended high above the heavens..."

Li Maozhen's voice was extremely sincere, even trembling slightly: "I beg you, considering the child Yunji is about to give birth to, who is also your flesh and blood, do not, because of my past disobedience, take your anger out on them, mother and child, on some day in the future. Yunji... since the day she married you, she has been devoted to you, entrusted with your life, and has never failed you in the slightest..."

The last few words were uttered by Li Maozhen almost through gritted teeth, yet they carried a sense of desperate gamble. He knew, of course, that too much talk could lead to mistakes, and that a ruler dislikes criticism from his subordinates. Moreover, his words were presumptuous, directly attacking his defenses, and tantamount to inviting disaster.

“A lonely man…” But Xiao Yan only repeated the word in a low voice, his face showing no other expression. He seemed unsurprised by Li Maozhen’s sincere words, and even a trace of deep thought flashed through his mind.

For almost everyone throughout history, this statement is more like a statement, an inevitable law recorded in historical texts and even experienced and feared by Li Maozhen himself.

Those who can escape this rule are saints, sages, and gentlemen, but not emperors.

Xiao Yan did not answer immediately, but instead turned his gaze to the distance again. On the horizon, the first golden rays of dawn were struggling to pierce through the thick clouds, tearing a crack in the darkness and heralding the coming of a new day.

"The path to becoming an emperor is indeed often lonely."

After a long while, Xiao Yan withdrew his gaze and looked again at the former tyrant before him who had given up everything to seek a slim chance of security for his loved ones. His eyes were no longer veiled, but open and bright, like the dawn's first light.

"High above the nine heavens, everything one sees and hears is obscured by layers of darkness. With songs of praise filling one's ears and ministers bowing their heads below, it is as if one is in a glass tower, looking around in bewilderment, unaware of the realities of life, unaware of the suffering of the common people, and indifferent to kinship and ethics. It is indeed common, even... easy, for one's passion to cool and one's original aspirations to become clouded, as recorded in history books."

He paused, his gaze sharp as he looked directly at Li Maozhen, before changing his form of address.

“However, brother, do you know that this word ‘easy’ is precisely the word that I, Xiao Yan, least want to touch in my life? If we talk about ‘easy’, it is easiest to carve out a territory and become a king, it is easiest to exhaust the army and satisfy personal desires, it is easiest to treat the people as grass and commit tyranny. However, this is not what I started when I raised the army, nor is it what I truly wanted.”

Li Maozhen was taken aback, then saw Xiao Yan suddenly burst into laughter, then turn around, hand on his belt, and look up at the sky, as if declaring to the heavens and earth, or perhaps questioning his own heart: "I wield my three-foot sword, gather heroes from all directions, cut through thorns and brambles, staining mountains and rivers with blood, all for what purpose? Is it to ascend that throne, to become the next lonely ruler who makes the common people tremble? No..."

Xiao Yan chuckled again, then calmly waved his hand, sweeping away the morning mist and blood aura in front of him, finally pointing to that eager ray of dawn light.

"It is to end this century of chaos, to allow people like the soldiers and civilians of Qidi who have suffered from the turmoil to truly enjoy peace. It is so that there will be no more fathers and sons killing each other, or brothers fighting each other. It is so that every dawn, like the one before us, is the beginning of hope, not a continuation of suffering."

A gentle morning breeze blows, the rivers and mountains stand majestically; its voice is soft, yet its words carry weight.

Shi Jingtang, who was waiting respectfully at the bottom of the slope, seemed to have heard something. He looked up in surprise and saw that Li Cunren, who was leaning against his horse with his arms crossed, had already stood up straight and was staring intently at the top of the slope.

On the high slope, Xiao Yan's gaze fell back on Li Maozhen, who was stunned again, his eyes sharp and sincere.

“Yun Ji is my wife, and the child in her womb is my continuation and future in this world. They are my home, the most important bond and warmth on this lonely imperial path. If I cannot even treat my own wife and children sincerely, and instead take out my anger on the innocent because of past grievances, how am I any different from the tyrannical and incompetent rulers I despise? How can I face myself as a ‘wise ruler’ and talk about treating the world well?”

Xiao Yan's tone gradually softened, yet became even more solemn: "Li Maozhen, you entrust your life to me today, asking for nothing more than the protection of a brother and maternal uncle for a loved one. I understand this. Your worries stem from historical facts and from human nature, which I also understand. However, I, Xiao Yan, will grant your request today!"

He did not point to the void of heaven and earth, nor did he press his hand to his heart. Instead, he slowly moved his hands, which had been behind his back, to his front. One hand was loosely clenched, as if supporting some invisible weight, while the other hand was slightly raised with the palm facing upward. His gaze was like a torch, looking directly at the sky and the mountains and rivers, and his voice pierced through the morning breeze.

"I, Xiao Yan, hereby swear: No matter what position I hold in the future, or what power I wield, Yun Ji will always be my lawfully wedded wife, and her children will always be my own flesh and blood. As long as they do not betray the world, the common people, or the honor of my Xiao family, they will forever enjoy honor and be protected. Past grievances will end with me, Xiao Yan, and you, Li Maozhen. There will be absolutely no possibility of me taking my anger out on my wife and children. This promise is witnessed by heaven and earth, and testified to by mountains and rivers. If I break this oath, may I die and my country perish, and may I be abandoned by the world!"

Li Maozhen stared blankly at Xiao Yan's retreating figure.

Those words, that spirit, that resounding vow, made with the mountains and rivers as witness, struck hard against his deepest concerns.

His eyes churned with complex emotions, a mixture of disbelief and shock, and the exhaustion of a long-suppressed burden suddenly lifted. The last glint of sharpness in his heterochromatic eyes vanished, leaving only a sense of relief that everything had settled, and a barely perceptible hint of respect for the future emperor before him.

Xiao Yan slowly lowered his hand, turned his gaze to Li Maozhen, and said, "As for you, my brother, whether you are called Li Maozhen or Song Wentong, you are a hero of our time. Your merits and demerits for Qi Kingdom and Yun Ji will be judged by future generations. But today, you laid down your weapons for your loved ones. I respect your sense of responsibility."

Li Maozhen's body trembled almost imperceptibly. But he didn't look at Xiao Yan again; his eyes were fixed on the ground. The surging feelings of relief, satisfaction, and lingering resentment within him all settled and dissipated at this moment. The mountain wind blew his robes, making a rustling sound, as if bidding farewell to a past.

Li Maozhen laughed loudly, straightened his robes, and then, under Xiao Yan's gaze, the former Prince of Qi knelt down and prostrated himself deeply on the ground with the most solemn salute.

The so-called "three kneelings and nine kowtows" refers to a person who performs every movement meticulously, and after the last kowtow, they do not straighten their upper body.

"Your humble servant Li Maozhen kowtows to thank Your Highness for Your Majesty's divine grace. Your Highness's magnanimity is as vast as the sea, and your humble servant is truly convinced..."

Looking at Li Maozhen kneeling on the ground, Xiao Yan felt somewhat magnanimous. With this matter settled, the Empress's worries were also relieved. Both publicly and privately, it was enough to bring him comfort.

He did not immediately help him up, but let the solemn ceremony of submission remain frozen in the morning light for a moment before he bent down to offer a slight helping hand.

"Get up. All that has happened is gone like smoke. Now that your brother has returned to you, I hope that you will live up to your words today and the expectations of Yunji."

Li Maozhen said nothing more, only nodding very slightly. He glanced at Xiao Yan one last time, his eyes filled with complex emotions, but ultimately settling into a quiet composure. He didn't linger, but bowed deeply again, then turned and walked step by step down the slope.

Xiao Yan watched him leave until he completely disappeared behind the rocks. On the hilltop, only he remained, with the howling wind.

The sky turned from dark gray to a pale white, and the clouds on the eastern horizon were almost entirely edged with a faint gold. The silence on the mountaintop was broken by the soft but rhythmic sound of horses' hooves and the rustling of armor blades coming from below the hill.

Surrounded by a group of palace guards, Shuliduo ascended the hill. She was dressed in leather armor that allowed for easy movement, with a thick silver fox fur cloak over it. She was travel-worn, and a few strands of hair at her temples were ruffled by the cold wind, clinging to her slightly chilly cheeks. This did not conceal the innate heroic spirit between her brows, nor a hint of weariness that was barely perceptible.

Her gaze almost immediately locked onto the figure on the cliff edge. Several years had passed, but time seemed to have left few marks on him; only his uprightness and composure were even more pronounced than before.

The moment she saw him, Shuliduo felt as if something had gently bumped into her heart. It was a mixture of the excitement of a long-awaited reunion, an indescribable longing, and a hidden grievance that even she herself had never delved into.

She pursed her slightly dry lips, raised her hand to signal Shiri Kika and Shiri Yukari to stop, and walked forward alone.

Shuliduo walked to Xiao Yan's side and slightly behind him, at a distance that was neither too close nor too far. She could feel the aura surrounding him that was a mixture of blood and frost, while maintaining the composure befitting an empress dowager from the northern desert.

"The King of Qin didn't sleep all night?" Her voice rang out in the morning breeze, still possessing the clear and dignified quality characteristic of the Empress Dowager of the Northern Desert. But upon closer listening, one could discern a subtle gentleness beneath that dignified tone. "The battle is over. Why not take a rest? I have personally escorted the remaining supplies and provisions to your camp. The soldiers will soon have a hearty meal."

Xiao Yan turned around upon hearing the voice. When his gaze fell upon Shuliduo, a smile naturally appeared on his face, instantly dispelling the solemnity and grimness between his brows: "Your Majesty has worked hard. Your timely assistance, arriving from afar, has relieved our urgent crisis. With provisions secured and the soldiers' hearts won, Your Majesty's contribution to this campaign is truly outstanding."

However, when this so-called gratitude reached Shuliduo's ears, it inexplicably stirred up a sense of disappointment in her heart.

His tone was clearly businesslike; his thanks were clear and polite, yet carried an invisible distance. In fact, perhaps it was just her imagination, but this polite remark about his "great contribution" sounded even more distant than the biting wind of the northern desert.

However, she merely nodded slightly, her gaze naturally shifting to the distant Tanshan mountain range, its outline being sketched by the morning light, as if captivated by the magnificent scenery: "The matter at the royal court is settled, with only a small amount of provisions. I dare not complain of hardship... How is the battle going?"

The two stood side by side, facing the pass. Xiao Yan succinctly stated, "The Jin army, relying on the terrain, held their ground and refused to retreat. Yesterday's battle resulted in significant casualties on both sides, especially in the struggle for the pass."

Shuliduo followed his gaze, her eyes calm, and slowly said, "In the Battle of Liuhe, the elite forces of Hedong were wiped out. Even if Li Cunxu had extraordinary abilities, he could only prolong his life by being trapped in this corner of Tanshan. After this chaos in the northern desert, the Yishi tribe was removed from the list, and the remnants of the Diela tribe submitted, making their foundation even more solid."

She turned her head to look at Xiao Yan's profile, then looked back at the silent battlefield, her voice carrying a complex sigh that she herself was unaware of, "You always win."

But then, her peripheral vision involuntarily glanced at the man beside her again. She paused, and before he could look back, she abruptly looked away, lowering her voice as if talking to herself, or perhaps reminiscing about a shared past.

"Recalling our first meeting on the banks of the Jushui River, you swept through my 20,000-strong palace with overwhelming force, without firing a single shot; then we joined forces to drive out Yelü Lage and establish our kingdom on the grasslands; and now, we stand shoulder to shoulder to annihilate Li Cunxu, the last formidable enemy that stands between the northern frontier... The turning of the world and the wonder of fate are beyond compare."

Her voice was soft, yet it echoed clearly between the two of them. It was an unforgettable memory, the starting point of their intertwined fates. Her fingertips unconsciously caressed the edge of the silver fox fur cloak.

“Yes, the world turns, and fate plays tricks on people.” Xiao Yan’s gaze remained fixed on the passes of Tanshan. Upon hearing this, he seemed to recall something from long ago and chuckled, “If it weren’t for the Empress Dowager’s decisive actions and strong support back then, how could I, Xiao Yan, have achieved what I have today, after our initial encounter in Hebei and the establishment of our rule in the northern desert?”

Shuliduo's heart stirred slightly, and the image of that young man from years ago, who had swiftly subdued Dingbadu amidst the snowstorm in Hebei, his gaze already fixed on the distant grasslands, seemed to appear before her eyes. Back then, he was sharp and ambitious, not yet twenty, yet he already displayed a captivating power and vision that made her unable to resist him.

"Lady Shuli," he addressed her for the first time in this place and at this time, using their former title instead of "Empress Dowager." This title made Shuli Duo's heart tremble, and she subconsciously looked at him, meeting his gentle, smiling eyes.

Then Xiao Yan raised his hand and pointed eastward. The pale light of dawn was rapidly expanding and spreading, and the edge of the sky was tinged with a faint golden-red, as if molten gold was about to pour out.

"After this battle, there will be no more major threats to the Central Plains and the northern frontier. The petty clowns in the south and the so-called towns that are barely surviving are not worth worrying about. When the world is rebuilt, the northern deserts and the Central Plains will be like the rising sun, sharing the same glory. We will end thousands of years of conflict and killing, and usher in a long period of peace. We will exchange goods and goods, and merchants will travel endlessly. There will be no more days when we face each other with arms."

Shuliduo listened quietly, watching the man whose figure was outlined by the increasingly bright morning light.

When they first met, he was her mortal enemy, his iron hooves crushing her pride; later, he became her ally, someone she both schemed against and had to rely on, dancing together on the tightrope of power and survival; and now, he stands here, as the victor, painting a picture of a future without war, one of shared prosperity.

His ambition was as vast as the grasslands, his abilities amazed her time and again, his sense of responsibility was revealed in every crisis, and even... his long-lost cry of "Shuli Niangzi," and the occasional glimpse of warmth beneath his cold political mask, were like pebbles thrown into a lake, rippling out in circles of undisturbed waves.

"Yes, long-lasting peace..."

Shuliduo's voice unconsciously softened, losing some of the Empress Dowager's majesty and gaining a hint of her own deep-seated longing.

She subconsciously raised her hand, tucking a strand of hair that had been blown by the mountain wind behind her ear, her fingertips tracing the coolness of her cheek, but her gaze never left Xiao Yan's profile, outlined in golden light, which seemed to contain boundless power.

A complex mix of admiration, dependence, adoration, and boundless longing for the future he had described spread and grew silently in her heart, eventually overflowing in her gazing eyes.

Just then, on the eastern horizon, the first true, sharp golden ray of sunlight, like a sword of revelation, suddenly burst forth.

The light was so dazzling and intense that it instantly swept away the remaining gloom in the world. It poured down without reservation, enveloping Xiao Yan, who was gazing into the distance with his hand on his sword.

He stood there, seemingly merging with the rising, unstoppable sun, becoming the sole ruler of this war-torn land. His spirit, his strength, his unwavering belief in the future were amplified infinitely by the dawn, creating a breathtaking spectacle.

Shuliduo stood to his side and slightly behind, also bathed in the gradually brightening, hopeful morning light. Gazing at his radiant figure, seemingly bearing the weight of an entire era, she was mesmerized and captivated.

It was no longer a prudent assessment based on political allies, nor awe of the powerful. A more complex, deeper, and more unfamiliar emotion, like spring vines breaking through the soil, grew wildly and spread wildly in the deepest part of her heart without warning.

It's admiration. It's longing. It's a flutter of the heart. And even, a touch of... a sense of belonging.

The feeling was so intense that it overwhelmed all her restraint and consideration.

Her breath seemed to catch in her throat for a moment. Her fingers unconsciously tightened around the soft edge of her mink cloak, and in her beautiful eyes, usually so discerning and calculating, now only Xiao Yan's silhouette, bathed in the morning light, appeared—like a god descending to earth. Beyond the political marriage, a more real, more passionate emotion blossomed on the battlefield at dawn.

Xiao Yan seemed to sense the unusually focused gaze behind him and turned his head slightly.

This time, however, Shuliduo didn't flinch. Instead, she met his gaze and stepped forward. The morning light outlined her perfect figure, the slightly disheveled hair at her temples shimmering softly in the light, and her eyes churned with an almost desperate honesty and depth. Her voice was soft, yet it pierced the wind clearly, carrying an unprecedented directness and yearning, free from all the shackles of identity:
“Jiulang…” she called out the name that belonged more to the past and more to the depths of her heart, her voice trembling slightly, “I want you.”

A deep bugle call suddenly rang out from the direction of Tanshan Pass. This could not possibly have been made by the Jin army; if they wanted to retreat, they would have done so silently. But the sound of the bugle meant that the Jin army had taken action.

Xiao Yan's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, and with just that one glance, Shuliduo felt as if she had already been devoured by him right there. A wave of heat instantly rose in her lower abdomen, and her proud neck became even hotter. But she did not feel shy or shrink back at all. Instead, she met his gaze even more closely, her chest rising and falling gently with her breath.

Xiao Yan remained silent, only nodding slightly, as if responding to a promise that needed no words. Then, he turned and led the way down the mountain.

A faint smile flickered across Shuliduo's lips. She fell half a step behind him and walked alongside him, a subtle distance separating them, their robes fluttering gently in the morning breeze. Shili Qixiang and Shili Xuehu followed silently, and the group walked towards the already awakened military camp below, bathed in the increasingly bright morning light.

(End of this chapter)