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

Chapter 538 The End
Upon hearing Yuan Tiangang's words, the entire hall fell into a sudden silence, and all eyes turned to Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan's gaze lingered briefly on the fake Li, then he gently spurred his horse forward, the steed taking a few more steps. The sound of its hooves striking the bluestone slabs carried far into the night.

"Yuan Tiangang, I am not here to watch your performance, nor am I here to collect someone's corpse. I only ask you, after going through so much trouble to set up this scheme, are you determined to be the traitor who has wreaked havoc on the world for three hundred years and now wants to burn down the palace and hold hostages?"

"Traitorous minister? Hahaha—"

Yuan Tiangang let out a long laugh, then casually tossed aside the fake Li he was holding as if it were nothing more than a worthless object. The fake Li stumbled to the ground and was caught by Yang Shuzi.

"Now that the Emperor has personally arrived, this good-for-nothing will be returned to the Li Tang dynasty!"

Yuan Tiangang didn't even glance at the fake Li, but simply put his hands behind his back and slowly walked down the first step.

However, the moment he moved, a clang of metal rang out from the solemn military formation.

Li Maozhen's eyes suddenly sharpened, and his hand on the hilt of his sword tightened slightly.

Without him issuing a command, the heavily armored infantry in the front ranks marched forward in unison, their shields striking the ground with a muffled thud. The armored soldiers behind them, wielding spears, immediately lowered their long spears, creating a shimmering wave of cold light in the firelight. The last crossbowmen raised their arms, the mechanisms clicked softly, and the arrows were pointed diagonally at the lone blue figure on the high platform.

A vast army is mobilized because of one person.

However, Xiao Yan, who was standing in front of the formation, did not turn his head. He simply raised his hand and pressed it down in the air.

In an instant, their forward steps came to a halt, the long spears held horizontally were lowered, and the crossbowmen lowered their arms. All the commotion and noise ceased abruptly, and the murderous aura that had risen in an instant was easily suppressed by this casual gesture.

Orders were obeyed without question, and no one dared to disobey.

However, Yuan Tiangang seemed oblivious to this, and walked straight down more than ten steps until he stopped in the middle of the platform, facing Xiao Yan on horseback.

"Three hundred years have passed, and I, the general, have wielded my sword for Emperor Taizong, witnessing the rise and fall of dynasties. Yet, how utterly unworthy are the descendants of the Li family."

He raised his head, his mask reflecting the light, facing Xiao Yan.

"The Emperor says that I have wreaked havoc on the world for three hundred years... So today, I ask the Emperor to listen to what I have done to cause this chaos for the past three hundred years."

In the sixth year of the Yonghui era, I, the General, promoted the "dethronement of the emperor and establishment of Wu Zetian," supporting Wu Meiniang to seize power. This was because the powerful Guanzhong aristocratic families were too influential to be easily controlled, limiting the emperor's authority. Only by having a female ruler could the old order be broken, making future generations understand that maintaining a dynasty is even more difficult than establishing one, and that the emperor's heart cannot be entrusted to others. The Wu Zhou dynasty's replacement of the Tang dynasty, seemingly a reversal of fortune, was in fact a natural cycle, and a necessary step to break the deadlock. Li Chunfeng predicted "Wu replacing Li," and I, the General, guided this trend. Only through destruction could the later Kaiyuan era of prosperity be established. This chaos is called the "destruction of the monarch."

He turned slightly to the side, put his hands behind his back, and looked up at the inky sky.

"During the Kaiyuan era, Emperor Xuanzong worked diligently in politics, almost bringing about a period of peace and prosperity. He could have become the ruler of our Great Tang for ten thousand years, a model for future generations. However, in his later years, he became obsessed with a woman, indulging in pleasure and poisoning, neglecting the administration of the court, causing the prefectures and guards to collapse, and allowing the border towns to grow powerful. No amount of resources in the country could satisfy his personal desires. The glorious spirit of the Tang Dynasty turned from prosperity to decline from then on, never to return."

Xiao Yan listened quietly, his face revealing neither joy nor anger.

Yuan Tiangang then continued:
"An Lushan and Shi Siming were merely petty bandits on the frontier. When their power first rose, I, the general, could have easily wiped them out. But what was the true nature of their treachery? It stemmed from within, from the emperor's already weakened resolve! For the sake of the world, for the sake of the Tang dynasty's eternal prosperity, I had no choice but to use An and Shi to extinguish Li Longji's hopes at Mawei Slope. Unfortunately, I never anticipated that even then, Li Longji would still secretly order the Bad People to place the woman's body in the underground palace of the Hall of Longevity, clinging to the delusional hope of her resurrection... beyond redemption. Heaven did not grant our wishes, and this chaos ultimately spread far and wide. Although it was not my original intention, it is enough to serve as a warning to future emperors: 'Those who neglect their duties will perish!' This chaos is what I call a wake-up call for the emperor."

As for the Huang Chao Rebellion during the Qianfu era, I disbanded the Bad People (a local militia) and allowed them to breach Chang'an. It wasn't that I was powerless to stop them, but rather that I wanted to see if Emperor Xizong could still turn the tide. If he couldn't even quell such a rebellion by bandits, what hope was there for the crumbling Tang Dynasty to revive? The regional warlords' separatist rule, their growing power and influence, required drastic measures. Sometimes, using violence to control violence is a necessary step to demonstrate an emperor's abilities and temper his will. This chaos, I call it, "forging the ruler."

As Yuan Tiangang finished speaking, his gaze abruptly shifted to Xiao Yan.

"Every single thing I've done in the last three hundred years has been for the sake of the Li Tang dynasty's continued rule for ten thousand generations. But I ask Your Majesty: after these three upheavals, has any descendant of the Li family truly understood the truth? Has any one of them worked diligently to turn the tide and save the collapsing edifice?!"

Without waiting for Xiao Yan's reply, he asked and answered himself, his tone becoming increasingly intense:
"After the Wu Zhou dynasty, Li Xian and Li Dan were utterly incompetent and cowardly. After the Kaiyuan era, Li Heng was confined to Lingwu, his ambition already waning; Li Yu and Li Shi were both controlled by their household servants and regional military governors, living a life of mere survival. Emperor Xianzong showed some improvement, but it was short-lived. After him, Emperors Mu, Jing, Wen, and Wu were all inferior to their predecessors. As for Emperors Yi, Xi, and Zhao... ha ha ha ha..."

He let out a series of cold laughs: "Your Majesty! Tell me, generation after generation, one by one, has any of them lived up to Emperor Taizong's illustrious military achievements? Has any of them lived up to my three hundred years of painstaking efforts, these three hundred years of...unscrupulous methods! Today Your Majesty calls me a traitorous minister..."

Yuan Tiangang spread his arms wide, his old robe billowing in the wind. "Then I, the commander, am the thief who has wreaked havoc on the world for three hundred years! The golden age is too far away, and people's hearts are corrupt. It is time to wash it all away with blood. If I, the commander, do not personally instigate this situation of two Tang dynasties standing side by side, how will the emperor know how hard-won the world is, and how will he cherish it?!"

The only sound in the square was the fluttering of the flags in the wind. Because Yuan Tiangang kept his voice confined to a small area, no one in front of the army, though holding their breath, could hear this confession that had been around for three hundred years.

Xiao Yan remained calm and composed until Yuan Tiangang's words had faded and their echoes still reverberated in the air. Only then did he let out a light sneer: "You finally asked that question. But you asked the wrong person, and you asked in the wrong direction."

He leaned forward slightly and stroked his mount's warm neck.

"You regard the rise and fall of the Li family over the past three hundred years, and whether the descendants of the Li family have achieved anything, as the sole yardstick for your merits and demerits. Yuan Tiangang, this is your greatest delusion. You ask them if even one of them has lived up to Emperor Taizong's expectations, if even one of them has lived up to your three hundred years of hard work..."

Xiao Yan shook his head. "Why should they be worthy of you? Why should the world and all living beings pay such a price for your obsession?"
You only see the people who come and go on the dragon throne, and you only care whether they conform to your standards of a 'wise ruler'. Have you ever lowered your head to look at the countless common people you used to 'destroy', 'awaken', and 'refine' the ruler?

When Wu Zetian replaced the Tang Dynasty, power shifted, and the court was embroiled in bloodshed, affecting countless people. The An Lushan Rebellion, with its flames of war spreading across the land and countless lives lost, is it merely a lighthearted record in history books? Huang Chao's capture of Chang'an sparked the rise of numerous warlords... Yes, you might think these were necessary growing pains, meant to forge the ideal monarch in your mind.

But those civilians who died in the chaos of war, those people who resorted to cannibalism, those displaced orphans and widows... would they be willing to risk their lives to verify this answer for you? To fulfill your 'loyalty' to the Tang Dynasty?
You are fixated on asking why the descendants of the Li family are so incompetent and why they cannot be helped. But you have never considered that perhaps the fortunes and misfortunes of millions of people should not be tied to the life of one person or the rise and fall of one family.

What you've been protecting from beginning to end has only been the name 'Li Tang'. What you've regarded as a pawn and a price to pay is the true 'world'.

Yuan Tiangang, you lived for three hundred years, protecting an empty name for three hundred years, and also... throwing a real world into chaos for three hundred years.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Tiangang stood silently for a long time, as if he were carefully savoring the meaning of these words.

And it seemed that he didn't need to respond, because at that moment, the sound of rapid hoofbeats could be heard.

Shi Yao galloped out from the flank of the army formation, only reining in her horse when she reached Xiao Yan's side. She dismounted, knelt on one knee before Xiao Yan, clasped her hands in a salute, then turned to face the entire field, her voice carrying far and wide.

"Your Majesty! Shi Yao, the Star of Heavenly Protection from the Bad People, has something to report!"

She didn't look at Yuan Tiangang, but said loudly:

"The situation of two Tang dynasties standing side by side, and the usurpation of the title by the false emperor in Jiangnan, has led to the resurgence of war and the displacement of the people. All of this is because Yuan Tiangang and Yang Shuzi, for their own selfish interests, disregarded the common people and forcibly supported Li Xingyun! Li Xingyun himself was also forced by his master and them to this day! The Bad People were mostly deceived by them before, unaware of the truth, and aided and abetted the evildoers!"

However, the Emperor is divinely mighty, and the royal army is mighty, relieving the people and punishing the guilty, bringing peace to the land. We, the discerning members of the Bad People, have long seen through Yuan Tiangang's perverse and treacherous intentions, his heart set on bringing disaster to the country and its people! Now, having realized our error, we are willing to abandon darkness and embrace the light, to serve the Emperor and atone for our past sins! Therefore—”

She suddenly drew her sword from her waist, pointed the tip to the sky, and shouted sharply, "Where are the Bad Guys!"

"exist!"

Then, all the figures dressed in the clothes of the Bad Guys, whether they had been standing solemnly behind Yuan Tiangang or those who had just rushed into the hall to splash oil, all turned around in unison, faced Xiao Yan's direction, and knelt down with a thud.

"Greetings to the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

The roar surged and swept across the entire square like a tidal wave, its momentum even surpassing that of the thousands of troops that had just arrived.

This sudden turn of events left the fake Li, who had just struggled to push Yang Shuzi away, stunned in place.

He was stunned. He looked at the group of bad guys kneeling down, then at Yuan Tiangang standing alone on the steps, and then at Yang Shuzi standing calmly to the side. He seemed unable to comprehend what was happening before his eyes for a moment.

Am I not going to die in Li Xingyun's place?

Fake Li's mind was in complete chaos.

Just then, Yang Shuzi, who had been standing quietly to the side, heard Shi Yao's words and, in a flash of anger, appeared beside the fake Li. He moved with lightning speed, grabbing the fake Li's pulse point and shoulder, firmly restraining him and rendering him unable to move.

Yang Shuzi restrained the fake Li, pointed at Shi Yao and said angrily, "Shi Yao, how dare you betray the Commander! Stop talking nonsense, my disciple Yang Shuzi is a true dragon!"

These words added fuel to the fire, making the already chaotic situation even more bizarre. The soldiers in front of the hall exchanged glances, while Li Maozhen's phoenix eyes were half-closed. However, the fake Li, being held hostage by Yang Shuzi, had a bloodless face and empty eyes, as if all his strength had been drained away.

At this moment, another change occurred!
Among the kneeling thugs, Li Sixiao suddenly sprang up, his figure as swift as lightning, and struck Yang Shuzi in the back with a palm strike. The palm wind was fierce, clearly indicating that he had been preparing for a long time.

Yang Shuzi seemed to be caught off guard, or perhaps he hadn't used all his strength to resist. He groaned and was hit solidly by the palm strike, staggering forward a few steps and releasing his grip on the fake Li.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Li Sixiao pulled the fake Li over and shielded him behind him. At the same time, more than ten scoundrels quickly stood up, surrounded the fake Li, and drew their swords, forming a standoff with Yang Shuzi.

But Xiao Yan sat upright on his horse, paying no attention to the scene unfolding before him from beginning to end.

He merely squinted at Yuan Tiangang and said, "I know what you're thinking. You'll exchange your death for their lives, and incidentally, you'll eliminate this so-called 'major threat' for me... Does that sound fair?"

Yuan Tiangang stood silently on the steps, seemingly oblivious to the kneeling, hostage-taking, and infighting behind him.

He simply replied calmly, "If Your Majesty finds this inappropriate, you may refuse the proposal. The way of the emperor is to have the power of life and death, and this general has no right to interfere."

Xiao Yan revealed a half-smile on his face, and then asked, word by word, "But who told you that you are my greatest threat?"

One sentence made Yuan Tiangang's eyes narrow slightly.

Then Xiao Yan leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed on Yuan Tiangang's bronze mask.

"While you were alive, you ruled the Bad People for three hundred years, scheming across the land, and I was not afraid. I marched south and swept across the land. Do you think that just because you are dead, I will be able to rest easy? Yuan Tiangang, you think too highly of yourself, and you look down on me, and you look down on this world!"
You keep talking about three hundred years of achievements, but in the end, all you care about is the life and death of these two people? You even went so far as to use this method to make a choice for me and to fulfill what you think is a great cause.
What do you think you're fulfilling? What are you sacrificing?

Xiao Yan couldn't help but sneer, "Let me tell you, in my reign, I can accommodate this vast land and its countless people. Can't I even tolerate a Li Xingyun, a fake Li? My empire and my laws will have their own judgment. Why should I rely on your death, Yuan Tiangang, to achieve a so-called 'clean' start? Do I need that?"

Yuan Tiangang remained silent for a moment, his voice still steady beneath the mask: "Your Majesty is magnanimous and can naturally tolerate such a crime. However, usurping the title of emperor and dividing the country is the most heinous crime. The laws of the land are clear and the world is watching. Someone must bear the consequences of this crime. Only in this way can we warn future generations and finally put an end to these three hundred years of grievances and entanglements."

"You still don't understand what I mean." Xiao Yan exhaled softly. "I am not discussing with you whether it is tolerated or not, nor am I discussing with you who should take the blame. This so-called three-hundred-year-old cholera is nothing but a thing of the past."

At this point, his eyes flashed like cold stars, and his tone suddenly became extremely sharp: "What I mean is that you, Yuan Tiangang, have lived for three hundred years, yet even now, you still don't know where you truly went wrong!"

"Three hundred years of chaos, people displaced, bones covering the fields, you casually attribute it to the emperor's lack of virtue, to the cycle of fate, but you never mention your own faults. Instead of reflecting on the fallacy of your own obsessions, you think that death and a lifetime of infamy can easily erase these sins? How can your mistakes be truly atoned or erased by death!"

Yuan Tiangang was visibly shaken by Xiao Yan's words.

He remained silent for a longer time before finally speaking in a hoarse voice:

"According to the Emperor's words, in the past three hundred years, the emperors have lost their way and the world has collapsed. If we do not make mistake after mistake and try our best to maintain order, how should we explain this? In the next three hundred years, if the state collapses and the country falls apart, if we do not use this extraordinary means to restore order... how should we explain this?"

Xiao Yan looked at him, his cold smile unchanged, and said, word by word:

Nothing more.

"If the Li family falls, the Tang dynasty can also fall. That's all."

Yuan Tiangang suddenly raised his head and then froze instantly, as if he had heard the most unbelievable words in the world.

This statement is too treasonous, too shocking, and it is difficult to even associate it with an emperor who has just rebuilt the Tang Dynasty.

Not only did Yuan Tiangang's body tremble almost imperceptibly, but even Yang Shuzi on the steps behind him, and Shi Yao standing solemnly to the side, all showed varying degrees of extreme shock.

Yuan Tiangang stood there in a daze, and after a long while, he let out a low laugh.

The laughter started softly, then gradually grew louder. It was no longer hoarse and arrogant, but instead filled with endless desolation, a sense of relief, loneliness, and a feeling of liberation as if a heavy burden had finally been lifted.

"...For the sake of the common people, to rewrite the world... So that's how it is. Indeed, Li Chunfeng was... I was so wrong."

As the laughter subsided, he straightened his old robe, then slowly raised his hands towards Xiao Yan on horseback, solemnly cupped his hands, and bowed deeply.

“This round,” his voice regained its calmness, even carrying a rare hint of gentleness, “is time to conclude, Your Majesty.”

Xiao Yan looked down at the man, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke. His voice did not convey any intention to stop him, but he simply said, "...Do you really want to do this?"

Yuan Tiangang stood up, but asked a seemingly unrelated question.

"Does Your Majesty know that the Book of Celestial Offices says, 'The celestial cycles change slightly every thirty years, moderately every hundred years, and dramatically every five hundred years'?"

However, he then gave his own answer: "Although the way of Heaven is constant, how can people's hearts be willing to follow its tide forever?"

“I die today not to atone for my sins, nor to fulfill anyone’s wishes. I want all the people of this world, and all those who intend to bring chaos to the country, to see that this sin deserves only death.”

“Those who usurp the throne and divide the state, even if they possess extraordinary abilities and have achieved great deeds for three hundred years, will ultimately meet with nothing more than death. This path is not viable.”

After speaking, he turned around abruptly, almost without hesitation, and walked step by step toward the main hall.

However, just before he was about to step into the palace, he casually flicked his sleeve backward. A surge of energy emanated from him, gently pushing Yang Shuzi, who was standing on the steps and wanted to follow him into the palace, down the steps. Alone, he disappeared into the darkness.

Just as his figure disappeared, a spark flew out from nowhere and landed on the pillar soaked in kerosene.

"boom--"

Flames shot into the sky, instantly engulfing doors, windows, beams, and pillars. The dazzling flames soared into the heavens, illuminating half of Nanjing as if it were daytime.

Fake Li was protected in the middle by Li Sixiao and others, staring blankly at the raging fire that had devoured everything, and at the place where Yuan Tiangang's figure had disappeared.

The rage, resentment, and hatred on his face—all his emotions—seemed to vanish without a trace at that moment, leaving only an endless emptiness and bewilderment.

He opened his mouth, as if he wanted to ask something to the sea of ​​fire, perhaps to ask if that figure had glanced at him one last time, but in the end, he only swayed, staggered and fell to the ground, never to straighten up again.

Li Maozhen rode up to Xiao Yan's side, gazing at the raging flames that were almost impossible to approach. After a moment of silence, he said, "Your Majesty, this fire... given the man's abilities, it's not certain that he can... Perhaps we should wait until the fire subsides a bit before sending people in to search..."

Xiao Yan shook his head as he watched the raging fire intensify.

"No need."

He didn't explain a single word more, as if Yuan Tiangang's fate was already sealed at this moment, and there was no need to waste any more manpower or energy.

Xiao Yan gently pulled the reins, turned the horse around, and rode away. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Shi Yao not far away, her head bowed and silent, her shadow stretched long in the firelight.

He glanced again at Yang Shuzi, who was slumped on the spot, held at knifepoint by the Imperial Guards, and the group of Bad People who stood silently with their heads bowed. Then he turned to Li Maozhen and gave the order:
"Use this fire to prepare some paper money and scatter it. This is to commemorate all the soldiers who died in this battle and the innocent civilians who suffered."

After he finished speaking, he was surrounded by Li Maozhen and a large number of generals and officers and left. When Shi Yao heard Xiao Yan's order, her shoulder seemed to twitch slightly, but she still did not raise her head. Instead, she lowered her head even further.

Soon, the paper money fell like snowflakes, swept up by the scorching east wind, mingling with the rising smoke and drifting ashes. Under the illumination of the towering flames, it flickered and floated into the deep night sky of Nanjing.

Shi Yao stared blankly at the fluttering paper money and the wicked people beneath it, some gazing at the raging fire, others looking up at the sky. She remained silent for a long time.

(End of this chapter)