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

Chapter 626 Countermeasure Plan
Although it was just a small assassination attempt, the problem it exposed was probably the biggest problem Xia Lin had encountered since he first emerged.

It's said that no child cries every day, and no gambler loses every day. This applies to Xia Lin as well; no one's path is ever smooth sailing.

So Emperor Jingtai thought for a long time but couldn't figure out how to deal with it. When he was about to go to Daosheng to discuss it, he saw that the scoundrel Xia Daosheng was setting up a barbecue stove in Wei Changsheng's courtyard and lighting charcoal to roast a lamb leg.

Li Shimin was using a stone to break up a large piece of charcoal, while Wei Changsheng was cutting meat on a stone platform in the courtyard.

"A wealthy man in the city presented you with two black goats. I was thinking of getting one to try, since I've never had one before." Xia Lin looked up at Emperor Jingtai: "You don't mind, do you?"

Seeing their posture, Emperor Jingtai was speechless and finally laughed out loud: "What time is it, and you still have the mind to mess with this damned goat?"

"What? They won't bother me if I don't handle the goats?" Xia Lin raised his head, his face covered in soot, and waved to Emperor Jingtai: "Don't just stand there, there are some seasonings over there, as well as some vegetables and fruits. Go wash them, add vinegar and sugar, and mix them up. Add plenty of chili juice."

"you……"

"If you don't work, you won't get anything to eat."

The scene was quite comical, but one has to admire Xia Daosheng's incredible composure. While everyone outside was portraying him as the cruel and ruthless Dong Zhuo, he was still debating whether or not to smear honey on the roasted lamb.

However, food made by oneself always tastes better. Although the group were all top performers in their respective fields, sitting down to eat together was quite a unique experience.

It was a bit tough on Wei Changsheng, as he was actually quite hesitant to dine at the same table as Emperor Jingtai. But in the end, Emperor Jingtai told him, "Oh, it's alright, it's alright. Even without that dragon robe, I'm still the same playboy I always was."

"You were quite the wild one back then. Do you remember that year when you were watching young girls bathing by the Yellow River and were chased by a whole village? If I hadn't ridden you away on horseback, you would definitely have lost a leg." Li Shimin grabbed a lamb spine and started munching on it. "Hey, Daosheng, your roasted lamb skills are pretty good. Where did you learn that?"

“I learned it from the Great Khan of the Turks. Before he became the Turk, he was a shepherd.” Xia Lin used a small knife to cut a large piece of meat into slices and placed them in front of Jinlian: “Eat it with a pancake. You women can’t learn the way these barbarians eat.”

Have you reached an agreement?

Emperor Jingtai took the roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) that Jinlian handed him, and glanced at Xia Lin and Li Shimin: "I'd like to know what kind of nonsense you two have come up with."

“It’s very simple.” Li Shimin pointed at Xia Lin: “He will provide the manpower and the money. After the matter is completed, the Hetao region will be jointly owned by the two countries, and your Wei will have priority in cultivating it. The two countries will exempt each other from commercial taxes, and the two countries will jointly build twelve roads and bridges.”

"That's it?" Emperor Jingtai looked at Xia Lin: "Is there anything else?"

“Every year he sends you two fair-skinned young women from Gansu and Shaanxi,” Xia Lin said, pointing at Li Shimin. “Or two hundred sheep.”

"What do I need my sister-in-law for!" Emperor Jingtai slammed his fist on the table and roared, "If you two continue to act so improperly, I will never agree to it, no matter what."

Seeing that Emperor Jingtai was really anxious, Xia Lin and Li Shimin laughed heartily. Only then did Li Shimin speak, saying, "The land south of the Yellow River is yours, and the land north of the Yellow River is mine. Apart from the Li Tang and Tian Wei, no other forces are allowed to exist. Kill them one by one, attack from both sides, and eliminate them quickly."

"That's just him bragging, not my idea. My idea is that the world is unified, and neither emperor on either side needs to abdicate, but the main power is given to the six ministries of the cabinet, and the officials on both sides are mixed up. In other words, the country treats you like pigs, and you occasionally show your faces to comfort the disaster area and reward the soldiers."

"How dare you!" Emperor Jingtai grabbed Xia Lin by the back of the neck: "Can you even speak human language?!"

"To be honest," Li Shimin said with a smile, "if the cabinet is really strong and capable, then this method is a good solution for the whole country. But unfortunately, I don't know about your Wei Kingdom, but the people on my side are all from different factions. If we do this, the palace will be locked up and then burned from dusk till dawn."

Li Shimin was the one who was truly clear-headed, but it was precisely because he was clear-headed that he knew Xia Lin was just making things up, and that such a thought was wishful thinking.

"Yes, most official positions nowadays are inherited through bloodlines, unless we can sever these bloodlines with a single blow."

"That's right. I heard the other day that the sons of high-ranking officials were mocking those who got into the imperial examinations." Li Shimin laughed and said, "Someone who can't even write properly is mocking those who are full of knowledge. The key is that the full of knowledge can't even say anything. The one who is ignorant and incompetent is Shangguan."

The atmosphere became a little awkward at this point, but Xia Lin broke the silence at the right time: "Actually, it's just about supporting him with 800 elite soldiers, and then putting external pressure on him after the matter is done. I don't need to give him much money; he'll have to give me some too."

"Eight hundred?" Emperor Jingtai raised an eyebrow. "What can eight hundred do?" "Enough to take Chang'an." Li Shimin waved his hand. "Eight hundred men, I want eight hundred men. We'll take Chang'an in ten days."

You're just bragging~
Emperor Jingtai rolled his eyes: "I don't believe it. Chang'an is impregnable. What use are your eight hundred men?"

"Hahaha, if it were you, even 300,000 men wouldn't be enough to take Chang'an, but I have 800." Li Shimin was extremely arrogant at this moment: "To break through a city, 800 men are not enough, but to break through the palace, 800 men are more than enough. After it is done, the land of Yan and Zhao will be yours."

"The lands of Yan and Zhao belong to Li Mi; are you trying to use his influence to curry favor?"

"What if I capture Li Mi?" Li Shimin turned his head to look at Emperor Jingtai, then at Xia Lin: "If I capture Li Mi, will everything be alright?"

Xia Lin smiled and glanced back at Emperor Jingtai: "They want to get rid of me, but I really can't get involved. It's too far away, but His Highness the Prince of Shu can."

"You want to pacify the Central Plains?" Emperor Jingtai's gaze immediately turned serious: "What about Luoyang?"

"Luoyang is still your Luoyang, I won't touch it. But let's get this straight: not touching it now doesn't mean it will never touch it. I also want to sit on the throne of the world's ruler."

Xia Lin coughed: "You revealed your intentions too early."

“Then I have to be able to keep it from you. If I can’t keep it from you and don’t just tell you, that would be like a real man.” Li Shimin laughed. “In the end, the world will be contested by the three of us here. But someone’s heart is not for the emperor, so it will be just the two of us vying for this world.”

Emperor Jingtai looked at Li Shimin and said, "Very well, I want to see how you, Li Shimin, can compete with me for the throne. If that day ever comes, remember to cut off my head and hang it on the city wall of Jinling. I want to see Daosheng avenge me with my own eyes."

Xia Lin stroked his chin: "Oh dear, the martial world isn't just about fighting and killing, it's about human relationships and social interactions~~~ Stop fooling around, let me say this first, neither of you should be emperors, one of you should be a poet traveling the world, and the other should be a general protecting the country. What do you two think?"

"Shut up!"

Emperor Jingtai and Emperor Taizong of Tang both shouted in unison, then got up and left at the same time. However, halfway there, Emperor Taizong turned back and picked up a leg of lamb, while Emperor Jingtai sat back down even more brazenly: "Why should I leave! He's the one who should leave. Eat, eat, eat!"

His shout silenced Wei Changsheng and Jinlian, who were standing nearby. They had never seen such a loud conspiracy before, and the thing they were plotting was terrifying.

They both wished they had become deaf from their sudden illness; after hearing these terrible things, they truly felt their lives were going to be miserable...

"Daosheng, why do you say that Li Shimin is going to attack Li Mi?"

“These are my conditions.” Xia Lin took out a booklet, which was filled with names: “Li Mi is fourth in my list of people I want to kill.”

"Who's number one?"

Xia Lin slowly raised her eyes to look at Emperor Jingtai, who was taken aback: "The Emperor?"

“Yang Ying.” Xia Lin suddenly laughed: “Neither you nor Li Shimin are on this list. This is called the Seventh Century Kill List. Xia Lin’s Exclusive Death Note.”

"What is...the seventh century?"

"It's Xia Ji's Eight Chaotic Timekeeping Method. The main reason he targeted Li Mi was to target Liu Heita, but these two are no ordinary people."

Xia Lin suddenly lowered his voice at this point: "After he finishes his attack, Li Tang will be severely weakened, and then I'll find a way to squeeze some money out of them."

Emperor Jingtai bit his lip: "You even want to destroy your son's dynasty?"

“I said, his future path can rely on his ability, his family fortune, or his reputation, but it cannot rely on blood ties.” Xia Lin tapped his finger on the table: “The first cut to sever the path of blood ties should begin with myself.”

(End of this chapter)