Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 453: Emperor's Aura
Xia Lin's first impression of Li Yuan was that he was not as incompetent as portrayed in movies and TV dramas or by later generations. On the contrary, he had the aura of an emperor. So far, Xia Lin had met both the emperor and the crown prince. Emperor Hongbao had the aura of an emperor, but the crown prince did not have that kind of demeanor that was as deep as water and majestic without anger.

But Li Yuan did. He didn't deliberately show off his expression but Xia Lin could indeed feel the oppression. He knew that this was actually a kind of political tactic, mainly used for psychological warfare. Strictly speaking, it was just like the usual behavior of a father-in-law after bringing a new son-in-law home. Simply put, it was pressure.

But Li Yuan started off with a strong questioning. If it were someone else, even the crown prince, he probably wouldn't be able to withstand such straightforward questioning.

Come to think of it, the only one who can compete with Li Yuan in the world now is the terminally ill Emperor Hongbao. Why is it that once Emperor Hongbao is gone, no one in the world can suppress Li Yuan? It is because of this reason. Other families like Xiao Douya's family or Yu Wenzhi's family either have money but no military power or have military power but no achievements. But Li Yuan has everything. The value of a king of a different surname is needless to say, and his family has been working in the northwest for so many years, with the support of many big families behind them. So compared with Emperor Hongbao, this guy only lacks the title of emperor, that's all.

But the problem was that his pressure could not suppress Xia Lin. Most of the scholars in the world either wanted to kneel down and pray for the emperor or wanted to be the emperor. Xia Lin did not want to kneel down and pray for the emperor, so he could be neither humble nor arrogant.

"I admire your insight, Your Majesty. I have no other intentions in deploying troops along the river, except to show my power and frighten the enemy."

It's a pun, isn't it? It's a pun, isn't it?
Li Yuan frowned immediately, but a smile appeared on his lips: "Oh? Why don't you tell me, Lord Xia, which mountain is being knocked, and which tiger is being shaken."

"Your Highness, what we are knocking on is the mountain in the hearts of the people, and what is shaking is the tiger that comes down from the mountain to hunt."

Good guy!
Li Yuan was also stunned for the moment, and his expression became tense. The atmosphere on both sides was not tense but it was dull and solemn.

During this time, Xia Lin poured tea for Li Yuan, then sat back and waited for Li Yuan.

"Master Xia has quite a bit of the style and demeanor that I had in my old days."

This sounds like a compliment, but in reality it means, "Xia Lin, you are as arrogant as I was back then. Do you really not understand the current situation?"

"The King of Tang is a great hero of the time. It is rare to have even 100% of your appearance. Your Majesty, I cannot accept your praise." Xia Lin lowered his eyelids and said, "The disturbance in the Central Plains this time is nothing more than the King's order to suppress the Bald Bandits. It's just that the Bald Bandits are so powerful that I have no choice but to do it."

After a few words of exchange, Li Yuan roughly understood Xia Lin's thoughts, which actually meant "I'll do the job, and you don't move. If you don't move, we can live in peace. If you move, I'll do you too."

This was so outrageous that Li Yuan's face turned green with anger. He was the King of Tang, and he knew that he would most likely become the Emperor of the North. Now he was threatened by a child who was not even as old as his own children. He could not swallow this.

"I have always heard that you, Master Xia, have profound attainments in military strategy and literature. Look, my grandson is about to be born. I wonder if Master Xia could stay in Chang'an to teach my grandson?"

To be honest, Xia Lin almost agreed when he heard this. He really wanted to teach his own son. After all, he was his biological son, the eldest son with whom he had the deepest connection in the world!

But it doesn’t work, which is a pity.

"It's not impossible, but I am also responsible for the teaching of the Po Lu Army. If so, the best way to have the best of both worlds is to let the 120,000 Po Lu Army come to Chang'an. I will teach your grandson here and teach the Po Lu Army there. What do you think, Your Majesty?"

"Heh." Li Yuan chuckled. How could he not hear the threat in Xia Lin's words? "Master Xia is really a young and promising man."

"No, no, no, it's more appropriate to be young and frivolous. The prince praised me for being a bit like you in the past, so I naturally can't let the prince down."

Li Yuan sneered: "Okay, I won't disturb Master Xia's interest today. I will host a banquet in my mansion tomorrow to entertain Master Xia. I hope Master Xia will come."

"must."

After he left, he went back and called his children over. As soon as they met, they started throwing things around. Both Li Jiancheng and Princess Pingyang were shocked. The last time their father was so angry was when Erfeng refused to give up the power of the Xuanjia Army and insisted on bringing the Xuanjia Army into Shu.

And now, Xia Lin can make his father so angry.

"Rebellion! Rebellion!!! A mere fourth-rank official actually dared to blackmail this prince. Who the hell is he?"

Li Yuan shouted loudly, then turned to look at the princess: "Sanniang, this is your friend? Huh!?"

Sanniang pursed her lips, not knowing how to respond. She didn't even know what Xia Lin had said to make her father so angry.

"Go, call Er Feng back to me. I want to see if his Po Lu Army can defeat my Xuan Jia Army! Go!"

"Father..." Li Jiancheng spoke at this moment: "Please don't let your anger hurt your body."

Sanniang also quickly took up the conversation at this time: "Father, the current situation is unstable, so don't start a war. After all, he came here on the king's order. If it is really the will of the court, we, as ministers, will resist the king's order. Even if we win, we can only be called traitors." Li Yuan was a little calmer at this time: "That's right, Erfeng will not be recalled. But this person can't leave even if he wants to. Sanniang, this matter is left to you. He can't leave Chang'an City even with a letter. I want to see how he will report to his king!"

Sanniang's heart skipped a beat at this moment. Her father didn't understand that guy, but she knew him too well. It was impossible for him not to have a backup plan...

When he was in Goguryeo, Xia Lin said that he would not go to Chang'an unless it was necessary. If he arrived in Chang'an, he would have a foolproof plan. At that time, he also asked him what to do if he was detained by his father. His meaning was very clear. Detaining him was easy, but detaining him meant declaring war on the Po Lu Army, and killing him was equivalent to declaring war on the court. The Li family was a rebel anyway.

Moreover, as long as the Li family takes any action now, no matter what the outcome is, the imperial court may still be the imperial court and it can just live in peace in a corner, but his Li family will be dismembered into small pieces by various warlords.

It is really not worth it to cause the Li family's sphere of influence to fall apart because of Xia Lin.

"Father, let me go talk to him and see if there is any improvement."

When Li Yuan heard Sanniang say this, he did not give a direct answer, but just waved his sleeves and let her go.

Soon, the princess found Xia Lin and poked his head with her finger as soon as they met: "You, you, you, you, you made my father so angry. What did you say to him? The last time he got so angry, it was because Erfeng refused to fight."

Xia Lin turned his head to look at the princess, then hugged her waist happily: "Let me hear if the baby kicks anyone."

"You're still listening, baby! My father is going to hold you here!"

"I know." Xia Lin put his ear on Sanniang's belly. "Actually, I really want to be detained here. He asked me to teach his grandson. You know, I almost agreed at that time. This is my eldest son. I wish I could look at him every day."

Seeing him like this, Sanniang couldn't help laughing: "Okay, then you can stay. Maybe you can have a second one in two years."

"No, it won't work. Who suffers the most when the world is in chaos? The common people suffer the most. After a turmoil, 60% of the country will be destroyed. If I have one more child, tens of millions of people will die. Everyone is born by their parents and raised by their parents. Everyone is a treasure in their family." Xia Lin took a deep breath and said, "There's nothing I can do."

Sanniang pursed her lips and said nothing for a long time. Only after a long time did she speak: "What if my father wants to keep you here?"

"Well." Xia Lin looked up and said, "You, the Li family, are worried about my making a show of force. How about I ask you to be the military supervisor?"

"Then doesn't that mean..." Sanniang's face turned serious: "Tell the world clearly that this is something that my Li family did together with you?"

"Are you afraid of being deserted by your friends and relatives now?" Xia Lin shook his head. "There is no other way, my dear princess. There is no one in the world who can sit on the wall and have his way with you and still have a good result. Either you can lock the borders safely and let me kill all the bastards in Henan Province. Or you can just be the tiger that comes down the mountain and share this piece of fat with me. Of course, if you eat this piece of fat, you will naturally lose the support of half of the nobles in the north. This is how things are in the world. There are gains and losses, but you have to weigh the gains and losses yourself."

"Then I'll go talk to my father."

"Wait a minute." Xia Lin held her hand and said, "You came and left so quickly, your father will definitely be suspicious, please stay a little longer."

Sanniang thought about it and agreed, so she sat down.

After a while, Xia Lin suddenly said, "It's not a good idea to just sit there and do nothing."

Princess Pingyang suddenly noticed it, and she immediately raised her head: "What do you want to do now?"

"Then we must think of some way to relieve the pain of missing you."

"No~~~The month is still young, you can wait until it's older."

The princess thought for a moment, then sighed and tied her hair into a ponytail: "I know what you are thinking... but you have to go wash it!"

"Okay! I'll go right away."

After more than an hour, the princess returned to report to her father. Her voice was a little hoarse when she spoke. After hearing the countermeasures she discussed, Li Yuan fell into deep thought: "This makes sense. Sanniang, you have worked hard. You are pregnant and still have to entangle with that boy. Go and rest first, and let your father think about the pros and cons."

(End of this chapter)