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

Chapter 488 May Your Life Be Long and Prosperous (Part Four)

The summer wind swept across the city walls of Taiyuan, causing some of the plain white curtains that had not yet been removed to sway weakly in the breeze.

Sunlight filtered through the courtyard wall, casting dappled patterns of light in the courtyard and illuminating the bowed heads and cautious steps of the servants coming and going.

Li Ting raised his hand to signal the armored soldiers behind him to stop, then stepped alone into the secluded courtyard. The courtyard was sparsely tended and appeared somewhat overgrown. The door to the main hall was ajar, and the interior was dimly lit.

He gently pushed the door open and saw Zhang Chengye standing with his back to the door, staring intently at a silk painting. The painting vaguely depicted the outline of the Chang'an palace, shrouded in mist and clouds, dreamlike and ethereal. Although slightly faded, it was exceptionally well-preserved.

Hearing the sound, Zhang Chengye slowly turned around. He was dressed in an outdated Tang Dynasty palace eunuch's robe, and in just a few months, this once resolute and shrewd military supervisor from Hedong had become emaciated. The oversized robe hung loosely on his body, as if it didn't fit him, only his deep-set eyes remained clear. He saw the armored soldiers standing solemnly behind Li Ting, but his face remained expressionless.

"Envoy Li," Zhang Chengye said calmly, nodding slightly as a greeting. His hunched posture made his large, old robe appear even more loose.

Li Ting cupped his hands in greeting and said politely, getting straight to the point: "His Highness Prince Qin deeply admires Lord Zhang's integrity and loyalty. His Highness has said that Lord Zhang has been loyal and upright throughout his life, serving the Tang Dynasty and assisting Prince Jin. His integrity shines as brightly as the sun and moon. His Highness has specially instructed me to convey that Hedong has just been pacified and everything needs to be rebuilt. His Highness also hopes that Lord Zhang can take care of his health. If Your Highness does not mind, His Highness is willing to use Lord Zhang's virtue and reputation to help govern the people here."

Zhang Chengye listened quietly. After Li Ting finished speaking, he remained silent for a moment before turning his gaze back to the painting of the Chang'an palace, and then smiled faintly.

"I am grateful to Ambassador Li for conveying this message. I thank Your Highness Prince Qin for your kindness. I served Emperors Xi and Zhao, and ultimately served the Jin Dynasty. Now the Tang Dynasty succeeds us on the banks of the Bian River, while the Jin Dynasty perished beneath the walls of Taiyuan. Your Highness Prince Qin is a man of great talent and strategy, wielding both kindness and power. I am no ordinary person; how could I not know this?"

Li Ting stood tall, quietly waiting for the next part to be told.

Then Zhang Chengye slowly shook his head: "However, I know I have failed the Jin Dynasty, how could I have the face to serve a new master? My heart and body have long since returned to dust with the King of Jin. My remaining breath today is merely a precarious existence. I appreciate the King of Qin's kindness..."

Li Ting gazed at this old Tang official, his life hanging by a thread, knowing full well that his mind was made up and any attempt at persuasion would be futile. He said no more, but bowed deeply: "I admire Lord Zhang's noble character. I will not break my promise to the Prince of Qin. Please take care, sir."

After speaking, he led his armored soldiers out of the courtyard and gently closed the gate. The sunlight was intense, and Li Ting squinted, a heavy sigh passing through his heart.

The courtyard gate closed gently behind him, and Zhang Chengye's gaze returned to the palace scroll on the desk. The flying eaves and brackets of Chang'an, now burned to the ground, were blurred on the silk, yet they held the place that had haunted his dreams throughout his life. And now, this old dream seemed no longer out of reach.

He took the prepared water, carefully washed his hands, and with the same solemnity as he had shown countless times before when serving the emperor, then lit three sticks of incense.

As wisps of smoke rose, he knelt and bowed deeply before the ancient palace shrouded in mist and clouds in the painting, remaining there for a long time. When he straightened up again, a serene expression, almost joyful, miraculously appeared on his withered face.

"This old minister..." He held incense up to the void and chuckled softly.

"...Fortunately, His Highness the Crown Prince has restored the Tang Dynasty. I can now report to my ancestors from the afterlife..."

When the news of Zhang Chengye's suicide at his residence reached Li Ting, he was supervising the burial of Li Cunxu outside the city. He remained silent for a long time before ordering that Zhang Chengye's body be carefully collected, his family properly settled, and that he be given a proper burial with honors and a monument erected to commemorate his loyalty.

As for the newly erected so-called tomb of the King of Jin, Guo Chongtao, Lu Zhi, and other former officials of the Jin state stood solemnly on both sides, their expressions complex, and all remained silent.

After Li Ting presided over the burial, Empress Dowager Cao, who was already swaying and supported by Consort Liu, could no longer bear it and suddenly collapsed onto the stone tablet in front of the tomb, bursting into tears. The inscription on the stone tablet was the epitaph for the Prince of Jin, personally written by Xiao Yan.

"The Tomb of the Former Military Governor of Hedong and Prince of Jin, whose personal name was Cunxu. He was a man of exceptional talent and courage from a young age, surpassing all others in the army. He carried on his father's legacy during a time of turmoil, leading a small but powerful army through perilous circumstances. For ten years, he waged war, his might shaking the northern frontier; he was truly a hero of his time. However, he was also stubborn and self-willed, failing to grasp the opportune moment, and stubbornly clinging to his small corner of Hedong against the tide of history. Ultimately, this led to his defeat, death, and the collapse of his ancestral temples. Was this not fate? Yet, he was born in the chaotic late Tang Dynasty, rose from the ranks, and died on the battlefield. His merits and demerits will be judged by the historians of later generations. Today, he is buried with royal honors to honor his bravery and to mourn his folly."

Empress Dowager Cao wiped the stone tablet again and again, her cries filled with heart-wrenching sorrow. Guo Chongtao and the other Jin officials all bowed their heads, none daring to offer any advice. Li Ting watched silently, offering no intervention.

With the erection of this stele, the last mark of the Shatuo Li clan was firmly nailed to this page of history, with no further chapter to follow.

------

The summer heat was intense on the official road south of Yinshan, making it even hotter than Datong.

A lightly armed entourage moved slowly through the dust. Xiao Yan, dressed only in a narrow-sleeved casual robe, sat astride a magnificent black horse. Beside him were surrendered officials with listless expressions, seemingly uninterested in anything, and the three Corpse Ancestors—Hou Qing, A Jie, and Han Ba—each with their own distinct interests.

Zhong Xiaokui led a small number of night scouts scattered around the front and back of the group. Accompanying them were some surrendered generals from Jin, such as Li Cunli and Xia Luqi, as well as veteran generals from Jin, such as Zhou Dewei, who ultimately did not resist to the end in Shuozhou.

With the overall situation initially stabilized, a few days ago, Shuliduo bid farewell to Xiao Yan and returned north to Dading Prefecture with Shili Qixiang and others, as well as the palace guards, to handle the backlog of government affairs and stabilize the interior of the northern desert.

Yuan Xingqin, who had been stationed in Dading Prefecture for more than two years, moved to Datong, while Tian Daocheng went north to take over the defense and assist Shuliduo in deterring the various tribes of the grasslands.

The eight tribes that were once the most powerful in the northern desert were directly dismantled by Xiao Yan into eighteen tribes and reorganized. The sons or heirs of their leaders and the chiefs of the Yinshan tribes were all sent to Bianliang as hostages.

The trade agreement finalized with Shuliduo has begun its pilot implementation. From Datong in the south of the Gobi Desert to Guihua Prefecture and Youzhou in the north, people can freely enter and exit through strategic passes along the Great Wall, such as Gubeikou. Trade is officially controlled, with established tariffs and commercial taxes. Salt, iron, tea, and silk from the Central Plains are exchanged for horses and furs from the Gobi Desert, satisfying the needs of both sides and strengthening economic ties.

The site for the "Fan Academy" is tentatively set in Youzhou, with plans to recruit noble sons from various tribes to learn Central Plains culture and laws. Upon returning, Shuliduo will also organize a team to compile the "Northern Desert Classics," as per Xiao Yan's request, using a Central Plains perspective to organize grassland history and customs, paving the way for the integration of the two tribes.

Xiao Yan traveled south via Yanmen Pass. Officials along the way, having already heard the news, knelt and waited several miles ahead of him by the roadside. Most of them looked terrified, not daring to utter a sound in the presence of this Prince of Qin, who had just annihilated the elite forces of Hedong a month prior. However, some behaved better, either boldly offering advice or racking their brains to flatter Xiao Yan at his lodgings.

Xiao Yan did not criticize these people too harshly. Whether they were good officials or corrupt officials, the Tian Ce Mansion would be responsible for the assessment and judgment in the future. Their promotion or demotion would not be based on their character or the previous standards of the Jin Kingdom.

Therefore, Xiao Yan would only briefly stop his horse, summon the leading official, and inquire about the resettlement of displaced people after the war, the recovery of production, and the local security situation. The officials answered cautiously, fearing the slightest mistake. After listening, Xiao Yan would mostly offer a word of encouragement, "Be diligent in governing and ensuring the people's well-being, and do not fail in your trust," and then say nothing more. Or he would simply have Zhong Xiao Kui and other accompanying officials receive the officials on his behalf, without engaging in any further conversation himself.

He preferred to detour to see the trivial matters in the countryside, which delayed his journey considerably, but no one dared to complain in the slightest.

Li Cunli and other former officials of the Jin state were allowed to accompany the group and witness everything.

They saw villages ravaged by war being rebuilt under the guidance of the government, with new thatched huts erected amidst the ruins; they saw displaced people lining up to receive relief from makeshift soup kitchens, their faces a mixture of bewilderment at surviving the catastrophe and obedience to the new order; they saw newly posted notices at the city gates, bearing the seal of the Tian Ce Prefecture, announcing a one-year tax exemption policy consistent with that of the Central Plains, replacing the exorbitant taxes and levies of the former Hedong prefectures and counties.

All of this was completely different from the warlike and ever-changing Hedong region they remembered, and an invisible pressure weighed heavily on the hearts of each of them.

Upon reaching the border of Taiyuan Prefecture, the group rested at a post station, where men and horses drank water. Xiao Yan sat down in the station, his gaze sweeping over the group of former Jin officials outside, and said, "Li Cunli."

Li Cunli stiffened, then quickly strode into the pavilion and bowed deeply: "Your subject is here."

Xiao Yan gestured for him to sit down, and without any pleasantries, went straight to the point: "You are no ordinary person. Your talent and martial arts are among the best in the Tongwen Academy and even in the entire Jin Kingdom. You should know Li Siyuan's character better than anyone else. He is sinister, ruthless, and ungrateful. To achieve his goals, he would even sacrifice his own brothers. Outside Zhenzhou City, you knew he was taking a dangerous path that could drag the Jin Kingdom into utter ruin, and you tried to dissuade him. Yet in the end, you still chose to be loyal to him until death. Why?"

The pavilion fell silent for a moment. The night guards standing outside the pavilion were like clay or wooden sculptures. Only the faint sounds of men and horses could be heard outside, and the distant, indistinct noise of the elder sister arguing with someone.

Li Cunli was silent for a moment, his Adam's apple bobbing, and said, "Your Highness is wise. My foolish loyalty is not for the person, but because I am bound by the two words 'gratitude and righteousness,' and also because of... the thought of keeping the Tongwen Academy alive."

He gave a wry smile and slowly began to speak: “I was orphaned at a young age and was taken in by my adoptive father, who brought me into the Tongwen Academy. Although the Thirteen Protectors were brothers in name, I know the depth of our relationship. Li Siyuan, as the eldest brother at the time, truly had the kindness of guiding and teaching me, imparting his knowledge and resolving my doubts without holding back. Therefore, I regard him as an elder and as a sage ruler. This sense of ‘righteousness’ has remained unchanged for decades, making it difficult for me to sever ties. This is the first point.”

"Secondly, Hedong is in decline, and the Prince of Jin hastily ascended the throne, his foundation unstable. Tongwen Academy is the brainchild of my adoptive father and a powerful instrument for Hedong to intimidate all sides. Although I am a so-called holy ruler, it is indeed only Li Siyuan who has the ability and ambition to keep Tongwen Academy from disintegrating. In my humble opinion, only by attaching ourselves to him can we find a chance for Tongwen Academy to survive in this chaotic world and prevent it from vanishing into thin air. Loyalty to him is also... loyalty to the legacy of Tongwen Academy."

Xiao Yan nodded slightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Li Cunli's voice immediately turned self-deprecating and bitter.

"As for the matter of Yinshan, this sinful subject is truly unforgivable even by death. At that time, Li Siyuan was nearly insane, acting recklessly without regard for the consequences. He knew that Your Highness had a close relationship with the surrendered minister Shizu, so he secretly conspired with Bali Shenyu to use the power of the Yinshan goddess Duokuohuo to severely injure... or even murder Your Highness. This plan was dangerous and vicious, no different from throwing an egg against a rock, courting certain death. Although this sinful subject was blindly loyal to him, I also knew that this move would inevitably implicate the entire Jin Kingdom. I also knew very well that such tricks would ultimately be no match for Your Highness's righteous and sweeping army. Therefore, before setting off for Yinshan, this sinful subject found a pretext to stay at Yehuling to help the King of Jin resist the enemy."

"However, Li Siyuan also knew that if this plan failed, he would surely incur the wrath of the emperor. Therefore, in order to leave a way out, or perhaps because he had twice seen His Highness's intention to take in the traitors in front of Zhenzhou and Dading Prefecture, he secretly sent a trusted assassin to deliver the news to His Highness that the surrendered traitor Shizu was in danger."

He sighed deeply, rose from his seat, and knelt down with his hands clasped: "This sinful subject knew the truth but failed to report it, willingly serving as a henchman, and his crime is unforgivable. Your Highness's keen insight and discernment of his treachery is truly the will of Heaven. Now that the Jin Dynasty has perished and the Tongwen Academy has been reduced to ashes, this sinful subject... only begs for death."

Silence fell once more within the pavilion. The surrendered official, standing in the shade of a nearby tree, paused slightly, his hand, which had been lazily toying with a leaf, flashing a cold light in his peach-blossom eyes before returning to calm. He released his grip, letting the fallen leaf drift away, as if his momentary lapse in composure had never occurred, and that he had merely heard unpleasant news.

Xiao Yan listened quietly, his face revealing neither joy nor anger. Li Cunli's confession was indeed identical to what Gongyang Zuo had obtained after severely torturing Li Siyuan. As for Li Siyuan's actions of hedging his bets and framing his brother out of fear of death, it was all too consistent with his character.

"Your words are no different from what I know. However, I also know that you, Li Cunli, are not without right and wrong, nor are you merely a blind follower. Outside Zhenzhou City, you spoke frankly to advise against it, knowing the danger of this action; regarding the Yinshan matter, although you yielded to Li Siyuan, you also knew that it was a dead end, and you could not resist the overwhelming trend. This clarity is the fundamental difference between you and Li Siyuan." Xiao Yan stood up, walked to the pavilion, and looked at the carriages and the figures of refugees slowly moving on the official road in the distance.

"I have never been fond of empty talk. I have seen your talents. The position of the Holy Master of the Tongwen Hall is not for the mediocre. Your martial arts and strategy, your ability to judge the situation, and even your willingness to confess and await execution are all beyond the reach of ordinary surrendered generals. You may be particular about minor details, but you still hold the greater good in your heart. This is why I had Empress Dowager Shuli try to recruit you twice in front of Dading Prefecture in Zhenzhou."

Li Cunli suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with disbelief, astonishment, and bewilderment. He had thought that after Xiao Yan learned the truth, he would face certain death, but he never expected to hear such words.

Xiao Yan stood with his back to Li Cunli, his hands clasped behind his back, his voice carrying a hint of unspoken amusement:

"Death? How easy it is. Death may preserve your loyalty to the Tongwen Academy and save you from the humiliation of being a general surrendering to a fallen nation, but that is hardly a form of responsibility. True responsibility is to live, to face the consequences of your past blind loyalty, and to use your remaining life to do something tangible for this soon-to-be-unified world."

He turned around and said, “I will spare your life for now. There is still a grand drama to unfold in Bianliang, and you are needed to witness it. The world is in dire need of rebuilding, and it is precisely the time when we need capable people. To implement my new policies, I need capable ministers and officials, people who understand the deep-seated problems of the region and know how to assess the situation. If you, Li Cunli, can turn over a new leaf and break free from the shackles of the past, with your talent, you may not be unable to establish a new life for the people and earn a dignified new beginning for yourself in a different world. This is far more valuable than your so-called suicide.”

“Your Majesty…Your Majesty…” Li Cunli was deeply shaken, but for a moment he was speechless.

He was a learned man, well-versed in history, and had served in officialdom for over a decade. Yet, only now did he truly grasp what those enlightened rulers, whom people bowed down to upon first meeting in history books, were really like.

Seeing Li Cunli's struggle and shock, Xiao Yan said nothing more, only waving his hand.

"Will you choose a meaningless death, burdened with the stigma of blind loyalty and unfulfilled responsibilities; or will you choose to use your life to find a true home for the world and for your own 'righteousness'? Li Cunli, the path has been shown to you. The choice is yours. Step down and think carefully about my words. I await your answer in Bianliang."

Li Cunli remained kneeling on the spot, and in the end, he could only kowtow heavily.

"Thank you... Your Highness for saving me."

------

As dusk settled, the group arrived at the official post station in Yangqu County before sunset to rest. The post station had been cleared out in advance by the county magistrate himself and his men, and was brightly lit, exuding a cautious and respectful atmosphere.

In the study that had been temporarily set up in the backyard of the post station, Xiao Yan read through the briefing sent by Tian Ce Mansion by candlelight, his gaze lingering on the letter sent by Qian Wu for a long time.

The Empress is now full-term and clearly about to give birth, while Xue'er only has a little over a month left to give birth. Although most of the political affairs in the past two months have been handled by the Tian Ce Mansion and the Privy Council, he has ultimately been unable to be by their side, as he has been constantly traveling between the north and south since the beginning of the year.

The candlelight flickered across his serene profile, casting a few dazed expressions on his face. Very light footsteps sounded outside the door, followed by Zhong Xiao Kui's hushed voice: "Your Highness, Li Cunren requests an audience."

"Go in." Xiao Yan put away the letter and regained his composure.

The door was pushed open, and Li Cunren walked in. She was still wearing a mask that only revealed her eyebrows and eyes, and dressed in plain old clothes. After entering, she did not say a word, but walked straight to the desk a few steps away and knelt down heavily on the ground.

"This sinful woman, Li Cunren, pays her respects to Your Highness." Her voice came from beneath the mask, trembling slightly. "Thanks to Your Highness's shelter, I have been able to survive until now. The Jin Kingdom has fallen, and the Tongwen Academy has been completely destroyed. Yet, I have only one wish unfulfilled... I only ask to kill Li Siyuan with my own hands to avenge the murder of my father, the harm done to my brother, and the humiliation inflicted upon me. I beg Your Highness to grant my wish!"

After speaking, the man kowtowed heavily, making a dull sound.

Xiao Yan merely glanced at her before picking up a briefing and beginning to read it.

Seeing his noncommittal response, Li Cunren was somewhat taken aback. She knew that Li Siyuan was doomed, which was why she risked her life to petition, but she never expected to receive such a response from Xiao Yan.

She was even more anxious, but after gritting her teeth, she suddenly reached for her clothes and saw her plain outer garment being roughly torn open and falling to the ground, revealing the only thin undergarment she was wearing underneath. Her figure, honed by years of martial arts training, was simply covered by the undergarment, making her exceptionally shapely and well-endowed, truly a sight to behold.

Li Cunren suppressed the immense shame and inferiority brought on by the scars under the mask, and simply placed his hands on his forehead and kowtowed again, his voice even carrying a hint of uncontrollable sobbing and pleading.

"I know I am ugly and have nothing of value, except for this crippled body... which is still clean... I wish to offer it to Your Highness. I will not object to whatever Your Highness chooses to use it. I only ask that Your Highness give me a chance to kill my enemies!"

The candlelight on the bank crackled softly.

Xiao Yan put down the document and sighed.

"Suit up."

Li Cunren trembled all over, subconsciously looked up, tears glistening in his eyes, his body shrinking back in shame and fear.

“If I wanted you, why would I need such a deal? Li Siyuan’s crimes are too numerous to count, and he deserves to die. However, killing him now would be too lenient. How can his crimes be settled with a single blow? I have a grand gift prepared for him in Bianliang. Then, we can discuss his life or death.”

Xiao Yan's gaze fell on Li Cunren's mask, and his tone turned cold: "I will give you a chance, but when exactly is it up to me."

Li Cunren stood frozen in place, feeling ashamed, indignant, lost, and a sense of bewilderment at being promised something. He remained stunned for a long time before he remembered to frantically grab the clothes on the ground, trying to cover up his extremely revealing inner garments, which he had chosen for his purpose.

Just then, the study door was pushed open from the outside.

Then they saw the surrendered official leaning against the door frame, holding a bowl of steaming congee in his hand.

With a casual glance, she instantly took in the striking scene inside. Li Cunren, disheveled and trembling on his knees with large expanses of skin exposed, frantically tugging at his clothes, and Xiao Yan, sitting calmly behind the desk, his expression shifting to one of astonishment.

The surrendered official's peach blossom eyes instantly curved into two crescent moons: "Oh dear, it seems I've arrived at the wrong time? I've disturbed Your Highness, King Qin... um..."

She paused deliberately, her gaze shifting between Li Cunren's bare shoulders and neck and Xiao Yan's embarrassed face, before finally settling on Li Cunren's flustered movements. "To understand the suffering of a surrendered general?"

Li Cunren felt even more ashamed, fearing that she would anger Xiao Yan. Overwhelmed with regret, she lowered her head and wished she could bury her face in the ground. She hurriedly dressed and got up, her cheeks burning hot under the mask.

Xiao Yan merely chuckled, offering no further explanation. His gaze fell upon the congee in the surrendered minister's hand, and his eyebrows involuntarily rose.

The surrendered official seemed completely oblivious to the incredibly awkward atmosphere. He walked in with light, graceful steps, as if no one else was there. He gently placed the bowl of porridge on Xiao Yan's desk, then went straight to Li Cunren, who was clutching his clothes. He extended his slender fingers and unexpectedly and gently lifted Li Cunren's mask.

"Tsk tsk, poor thing, you'd even resort to this to kill that bastard Li Siyuan?"

She glanced at Xiao Yan, who was sitting behind the desk and only now showed a helpless smile, glared at him fiercely, and then turned back to tease Li Cunren: "But... your judgment is not bad, you know how to find the strongest backer in the world."

"Come, let me see, why do you wear a mask all day?"

"No." Li Cunren involuntarily took half a step back, but when he thought of Xiao Yan standing right next to him, he froze again, biting his lip and preparing to endure the humiliation of having his mask removed.

The surrendered minister merely lifted a corner of her mask without removing it. She chuckled softly, then leaned down slightly, close to Li Cunren's ear, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "It's just a little scar on your face, what's there to care about? Follow me, and I guarantee your little face will recover to be even more beautiful than before... Hmph, consider it... because you have good taste and know how to choose people."

Li Cunren's eyes widened suddenly beneath her mask. The scars on her face were the source of her lifelong inferiority complex, a nightmare that had kept her from showing her true face for over a decade. Could it really be cured now?
But after the surrendered minister finished speaking, she straightened up, turned around and smiled brightly at Xiao Yan, her smile radiant and captivating, with a hint of slyness: "Your Highness, eat the porridge while it's hot. I'll take my leave and won't disturb you any longer... to continue 'appeasing' this... um... loyal Thirteenth Protector."

After she finished speaking these words with a double meaning, the surrendered minister turned around with captivating charm, her skirt swaying like a bewitching flower blooming in the dark night, and gracefully disappeared outside the door.

Inside the study, Li Cunren was first stunned, then fell into an awkward silence, clutching his clothes tightly, looking helplessly in the direction where the surrendered minister had disappeared, and then carefully observing Xiao Yan's expression.

Xiao Yan shook his head, picked up the bowl of still-steaming porridge, and found himself both annoyed and amused.

"That vixen, she didn't even bring a spoon." He looked up at the stunned Li Cunren. "Go get me a spoon, and while you're at it, send a message to Taiyuan saying that I'm not going to Taiyuan, but straight to Bianjing."

Li Cunren, who was unsure whether to continue taking off her clothes, suddenly realized what was happening and hurriedly responded before quickly retreating out of the study that made her feel so ashamed.

(End of this chapter)