The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 363 Hajj
"Father," Li Miaowei said, supporting him and advising, "Anger harms the liver; don't get angry."

Li Cunmei and Li Cunxu stood up and looked at each other in bewilderment.

"I didn't expect the Zhu family to be so easily defeated." Li Keyong shrugged, and after a long while, he said, "If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. I wonder how many more nights of peace Hedong can have."

“The north is high and the south is low, and Hedong has a strategic advantage. The court has just recovered the Central Plains, and its focus is there. In a year or two, there should be no worries,” Li Cunxu said. “If we rectify internal affairs and improve diplomacy, there is still hope for preservation.”

“Yes, my sister is still in the court, there is still room for maneuver,” Li Cunmei comforted her.

“It’s good enough that Wusi can keep his life, what else can he hope for?” Li Keyong sighed deeply: “Li Ye still has some humanity. After all, we have been married for many years, and Wusi was truly devoted to him. As a mother, he was imprisoned in the Northern Palace, while the Prince of Dai was still a normal holy son. He didn’t end up killing his wife and son. Sigh, at least he’s still dignified.”

"Forget it, I can't make that decision now." Li Keyong looked at the floor and said, "Let's go, let's get out."

I shouldn't have, I shouldn't have, I should never have entered Chang'an.

Ugh.

Outside the Taoist temple, Li Luoluo, along with Li Xiji, Kang Junli, and other civil and military officials, were present. With the support of the Shatuo people, Li Luoluo seized the throne, ousted Li Keyong from the throne, and imprisoned him in Jinyang Palace. Later, when Li Keyong went on a hunger strike, Li Luoluo had no choice but to move him to Longshan Mountain.

Today, besides informing me of this matter, I also offered my usual greetings.

The father and son exchanged a glance upon meeting.

Li Luoluo looked displeased and paced back and forth. In the end, she couldn't hold back any longer and scolded him with her hands behind her back: "If it weren't for your perverse actions and the disastrous defeat in the Guanzhong region, which caused the situation to become unbalanced, how could the court have entered Bianjing? The situation has come to this, and it is all your fault!"

"If the imperial court summons you and your husband to court for questioning, what will you do!" Li Luoluo slammed her hand on the pillar and roared.

Liu Daoxun looked sad and lowered his head.

Li Luoluo called her "Mother," but she wasn't her son. She humiliated you, and that was that.

Later, when Li Cunxu destroyed the Liang dynasty, he took Cao and her entire family to Luoyang, leaving only Liu in Jinyang because she was not his mother. The matter of honoring the Empress Dowager also made Liu look foolish—as Li Keyong's legal wife, she was forced to bow to Cao, who had risen to the position of concubine.

Although Li Keyong's temper had subsided considerably, he still lost his temper immediately when his son lectured him like this in front of others. His eyes bulged, and he said fiercely, "Imprison me if you want, kill me if you want, what a waste of words!"

Li Luoluo cursed, "You old bastard, do you think I wouldn't dare! You wicked scoundrel who has harmed so many people, I really want to turn you into a monk like Emperor Suzong did to Emperor Xuanzong, and lock you up in Jinyang Palace until you die."

"You unfilial son, then come and kill me!" Li Keyong broke free from Li Miaowei's support and waved his one-armed hand.

Li Luoluo, her blood boiling, uttered two sounds, glanced around, and then swung her knife, shouting, "I'll kill you!"

"Father, get out of the way!" Li Miaowei scrambled forward, shoving Li Keyong to the ground and shielding him with her body. In the chaos, her hair ornament was knocked off, and her beautiful face was smeared with mud. She screamed in a shrill voice, her hair disheveled, "Are you even human? You're trying to kill me!"

"Brother!"

"General, General, this is unacceptable!"

Li Cunxu and his officers reacted swiftly, rushing forward to stop them. Some grabbed his feet, others disarmed him.

Li Keyong roared, "You little beast, if you don't kill me today, you're not human!"

Li Luoluo was held down firmly by the crowd, but her emotions remained fiery: "Old dog, you'll be sorry when Hedong is destroyed! I'll see how you'll face your ancestors and soldiers then!"

The soldiers waiting outside the gate were all shocked by the sound.

This was the first time the father and son had clashed so badly on the field since they seized power.

"What's done is done. Things have come to this point. What's the point of fighting amongst ourselves? What will that change?" Li Miaowei got up from the ground and ordered her servants, "Send the Queen Mother back to her courtyard to rest!"

Li Keyong continued to curse, but was dragged away by his servants and Liu Daoxun.

Li Miaowei spat out the mud in her mouth, tidied her hair, and looked at Li Luoluo with teary eyes: "He's already a cripple, why did you have to come here?"

"I'm so angry, so angry!" Li Luoluo threw down her knife, her face flushed. "He ruined such a great situation. Occupying Longcheng, he really thought he had the aura of a dragon. He didn't want to be Guo Ziyi, he wanted to be Dong Zhuo. Now look what happened? Youyu is dead, and we're next."

"There's no use dwelling on this now." Li Miaowei wiped away her tears and calmed herself down. "Let's think about how to maintain the status quo."

Li Luoluo said expressionlessly, "I wish to go to the capital and humble myself. Perhaps, out of sincerity, the Emperor will allow me to return with my imperial insignia."

Li Miaowei sneered: "He may be willing to let you come back, but the soldiers may not be willing to let you come back."

Li Luoluo is currently the only person who can be reasonably accepted by all parties.

While you were away, it was not entirely impossible that someone would cause trouble, arrest the Li family, and surrender to the court.

Li Luolu remained silent for a long time.

“Young Marshal, Hedong cannot withstand further turmoil in the next two or three years; we can only defend it. But with examples like Zha Zhu and Fu Cunshen, I fear morale is low, and it will be difficult to defend it,” Li Xiji said. “The only solution now is to do everything we can to repair it.”

"How can we fix it?" Li Luoluo asked worriedly. "It's gotten to this point. We want to fix it, but I'm afraid the imperial court doesn't want to."

"It depends on human effort. Let's first select a few important officials to pay homage and probe the Emperor's mind. There's no better way for the time being."

Li Luoluo's dark eyes darted around as she looked at her sister's sorrowful face and whispered, "You're going too? You've spent time with the Sage, so there's still some sisterly affection between you. It would be better if you spoke up for her... If you go, your attitude will seem different."

“Me?” Li Miaowei looked up at the sky and sighed, “Sages are people whose hearts are as hard as iron. How could I possibly persuade them?”

In my heart, there has always been only Saint Tang first. There is absolutely no one... who can make me do what I want.

Memories of undressing and offering oneself up surfaced in my mind.

The sage rejected her harsh words and cold demeanor, and in retrospect, it was all very clear.

What kind of relationship could make someone like him back down from his ambitions? None.

Besides, my sister was his woman, and even with such power, she was still crippled. I'm just his sister-in-law; what can I change?

However, Li Miaowei still agreed: "Going is better than not going, I'll go."

Besides, I haven't seen my sister in a long time.

She misses her very much.

"That's settled then. We'll talk about it again if we can't reach an agreement," Li Luoluo said.

After discussing the details, the group dispatched an envoy led by Li Miaowei and Li Xiji to Bianliang in the south.

*****
The old man crouched low and walked furtively through the garden.

He had no name, only that his surname was Li, and he was a servant who chopped wood and boiled water. Because of his ugly and old appearance, the servants all called him Old Man Li.

Old Man Li walked through several courtyards, and as soon as he knocked on a door, a fragrant breeze wafted up behind him.

A hand was on his waist, and a delicate voice was filled with anger: "Old man, why are you so late?"

As he spoke, he reached up and grabbed Old Man Li's hair bun, slowly pulling the short and thin Old Man Li around to face him, and then placed his hands on Old Man Li's shoulders.

Old Man Li glanced around furtively for a moment, then slowly closed the door. Only then, still shaken, did he nod nervously, chuckling awkwardly, "This is the Duke's residence, and the fairy is his wife. I'm scared..."

"You sleep with other people, yet you're not afraid?" Zhu Yanling patted Old Man Li's cheek casually and strolled away.

"Fairy..." Old Man Li followed closely behind.

Zhu Yanling raised an eyebrow, turned around and stopped, angrily saying, "Then go back!"

Old Man Li was startled, wondering what he had said to offend the beautiful woman again. Seeing Zhu Yanling's expression, he immediately knelt down and kowtowed: "Fairy, it's my fault...it's my fault, I know my sins...please punish me, Fairy!"

"Don't come here again!" Zhu Yanling looked down at him and scolded him.

Old Man Li, kneeling on the ground, immediately turned ashen-faced, and instinctively kowtowed repeatedly, pleading, "Fairy Maiden, Bodhisattva, this old man, half-buried in the ground, can only be concerned about whether the Bodhisattva is happy..."

"roll!"

"Fairy Maiden, Fairy Maiden, please have mercy! This old servant cannot live without you..."

"If I told you to get out, then get out! Get out of here now!"

"Then let the fairy maiden come out. Let this old servant be dragged away and beaten to death. Without the fairy maiden, what's the point of living?"

After a long pause, Zhu Yanling finally snorted, "...Hmph."

"Fairy Maiden!!" Old Man Li crawled two steps on his knees, picked up Zhu Yanling's shoes, and kissed them again and again.

With an excited heart, trembling hands, and greedy eyes, he stared intently at Zhu Yanling's figure hidden beneath his spring clothes.

Zhu Yanling's heart still trembled violently.

Just by kneeling down and licking her feet, Old Man Li made her feel a stronger emotional and physical urge than when she was with other men, including her husband.

There's a thrill in conquering men, like a queen or empress.

Suddenly my foot slipped.

But then they saw Old Man Li let go of his hands and mouth and start taking off his tattered servant's trousers.

Zhu Yanling felt inexplicably flustered. He looked around and shouted, "What are you doing in broad daylight?"

Perhaps due to the constraints of traditional female virtues, a blush still appeared on her face.

"Heh, heh heh..." Seeing Zhu Yanling lower his eyelashes shyly, Old Man Li trembled with excitement. He picked Zhu Yanling up in his arms and limped and stumbled towards the bedroom.

Zhu Yanling pressed his forehead against his chest, unwilling to show his face.

The posture was just like a lame male dog carrying a beautiful and noble female dog on its back, heading towards the pasture.

Zhu Yanling glanced up at Old Man Li's chin and asked, "Is my husband alright? Has he been giving you any trouble lately?"

Upon hearing this, Old Man Li's eyes reddened: "At the banquet the other day, this old servant was sent to serve dishes, but because of my leg problems, I spilled wine and was whipped ten times..."

Zhu Yanling snorted coldly: "You old codger."

He cursed and said, "The old man's health is poor. He sees double. He'll go blind sooner or later. He won't last many more years."

"When he goes blind, I will make merry with people in his presence."

Feeling the fairy's protection, the weeping old man smiled obsequiously again: "I'll tell you later, I'll tell you later, we've arrived."

Pushing open the door, the two collapsed onto the tatami mat.

"Fairy Maiden, A'Zhu, this old servant, this old servant!" Old Li's Chinese was incoherent. He grabbed Zhu Yanling and groped him wildly, throwing his clothes all over the ground. Then he started shoving his snout around, arousing Zhu Yanling to the point of burning with desire in no time.

After several rounds, a human face appeared outside the window. Incense was burning inside, and a faint smoke filled the curtains.

His wife lay there with her face pressed against the sheets, howling, crying, and laughing in a mixture of pain and satisfaction.

Yang Xingmi took all of this into account.

He felt no anger whatsoever, not even a ripple of emotion.

Could it be that I was really wrong?

Is it my indifference and lack of affection that have led my wife to this state, having an affair with an old man?

Yang Xingmi asked himself this question once again.

There is no answer.

After a long while, he placed his hand on the hilt of the sword.

He wasn't angry at such humiliation, because few things in the world could anger him, and there was nothing Yang Xingmi couldn't tolerate or accept. He also never showed any emotion because of women. But being cuckolded violated the most basic dignity of a man.

He wanted to kill the couple.

But in an instant, he lowered his hands and resumed his posture of standing with his hands behind his back.

It wasn't that I didn't want to kill her, but that I couldn't. This despicable woman was utterly despicable, yet she had a fierce and powerful younger brother who commanded a large army. And ironically, the two of them were deeply in love and completely trusted each other.

If we kill this slut, Zhu Yanshou will cause trouble.

No, this person is fierce and difficult to control; in Xingmi's mind, he was the kind of person who could cause trouble at any time.

Of course, if it were just Zhu Yanshou, Old Yang wouldn't have acted this way. There were many generals with disloyal intentions, such as An Renyi and Tian Jun, and they belonged to the same faction as Zhu Yanshou.

This could easily lead to civil war. Wouldn't that make his enemy, Qian Liu, grin from ear to ear?
Being the military governor of Huainan is a difficult job.

Therefore, even though he discovered Zhu Yanling's first adultery, he pretended not to know about his wife's betrayal.

However, Zhu Yanling was not a promiscuous bitch.

Her licentious nature had long yearned to do provocative things that were unacceptable to female virtues and social norms.

As a result, the scale became larger and larger.

The first person she hooked up with was a guard, then a groom, then a cook, a teenage servant, a musician, a painter, and then an old man.

Of course, things are still good now. Zhu Yanling doesn't dare to be too bold yet; he's being cautious and sneaky.

After Old Yang contracted an eye disease and pretended to be blind, that's when Tang Nu went crazy—"...he then feigned an eye disease for three years, and his wife watched his every move to keep track of him. As for his affairs with servants, he avoided all other people, but he did not avoid doing so in secret."

In this context, "私" means "adultery".

The translation is: "喜夫前受" (Xifu Qianshou).

After quietly observing the two play until they were exhausted and fell asleep, Yang Xingmi glanced at his tired, listless, and sweaty wife and then quietly left.

Sleep, sleep, Ah... Zhu!

After walking several hundred steps along the lake, I bumped into a child.

"Father!" It was Yang Jun, son of Zhu Yanling. Perhaps because he hadn't seen his father for a long time, he was overjoyed and ran up to Yang Xingmi, throwing himself into his arms: "Where have you been?"

Yang Xingmi remained silent, looking down at his son.

Unlike me?
That's nothing like me.

"Father, why aren't you saying anything?"

"Ah!" With a scream, Yang Xingmi moved with lightning speed, grabbing Yang Jun by the neck and drowning him in the lake.

The child struggled desperately, splashing water everywhere, only letting out terrified whimpers and screams.

Yang Xingmi's arm hung steadily on the lake.

After an unknown amount of time, Yang Jun finally fell silent.

He easily slapped the palm.

The body fell into the lush green lake filled with lotus flowers.

Yang Xingmi left to find his other son, Yang Wo, on whom he had placed high hopes, wanting to discuss military and political matters and see if the boy had made any progress. However, from afar he heard a group of servants making a fuss; it turned out Yang Wo was cockfighting.

"The commander is here... Run, run!" The servants scattered in a panic.

“Father…” Upon seeing Yang Xingmi’s expressionless old face, Yang Wo’s joy vanished instantly, replaced by fear.

"How old is Dalang this year?" Yang Xingmi sat down on the threshold, patted the spot next to him, and asked softly.

Yang Wo came over and sat down next to him: "Thirteen."

“Thirteen…” Yang Xingmi sighed: “I am thirteen years old and struggling to survive. The Holy Son, the Prince of Liang, was seven or eight years old when he joined the general to fight against the Tubo. The Prince of Wu should be no older than you, and he joined the princes to take Bianliang. But you are so frivolous and have no reputation… The military government will surely look down on you.”

Yang Wo retorted, "My son just plays cockfighting and polo when he's bored. Is it really that serious?"

Yang Xingmi avoided answering: "The traitor Zhu has been defeated, and the imperial army has entered Bianjing. What do you think?"

"Let's sit back and watch," Yang Wo laughed. "This is a good thing. We are originally subjects of the Tang Dynasty. With the restoration of the Holy Tang Dynasty, the various towns no longer dare to devour each other. We are safe now."

"Are you summoned to court?"

"just go."

"Where is he summoned as a father?"

"Um...would I die? If not, how about going to court?"

Is that all the ambition you have?

Yang Wo was unhappy: "You say I'm incompetent, why don't you abandon me and do it yourself! You have so many sons anyway!"

Yang Xingmi patiently asked, "If I were to enter the court, what do you think the generals, both inside and outside the capital, would do?"

"I don't know, I'm not one of them."

Yang Xingmi suddenly smiled with relief.

"Take your time fighting." Yang Xingmi slumped to his feet and staggered out. After a day filled with negativity, he had no mood for a meeting. He summoned his trusted confidant Zhou Yin for a chat, then sent Zhou Yin to Bianliang to pay homage.

An unfaithful wife and a gambling concubine.

The eldest son was good-for-nothing, and the second son was dull-witted.

Ambitious subordinates, a cause they don't know why they're fighting for.

He was a middle-aged man in his forties, but he felt lost and almost wanted to cry.

He lived a miserable life.

Although the imperial court recovered the Central Plains, it does not mean that Jiangnan is necessarily lost.

The division of the country into North and South is not a one-off event in history.

But now, he's lost all his drive. With each passing day, his will dwindles. He's exhausted and in pain.

After receiving news that the emperor was staying in Bianliang, he also considered bringing his entire clan to the capital.

But reality wouldn't allow it. He had lost his ambition, but the people of Huainan were still full of it; the generals were all keen on conquering cities and seizing territory, establishing their own independent regimes.

He can't leave.

His staunch supporters wouldn't let him leave. If rumors spread today, there could be a mutiny tomorrow. Besides, Huainan is still strong, and the emperor has many rivals; the future is uncertain. Going to Chang'an like this just like that feels like a waste of all the suffering he's endured.

Let's take it one day at a time and see how things go!

"Yang Wo is a frivolous and unruly fellow, unfit to lead the army." Composing himself, Yang Xingmi spoke of his son: "I plan to send him to the front lines in Xuancheng as an official. You should coordinate with the Xuanzhou authorities and see how to arrange it. Make sure to deal with this fellow properly."

"Here."

*******
Without being summoned, upon hearing that the government troops had captured Bianjing, both Hedong and Huainan immediately sent envoys with valuables to pay homage to the emperor.

Their reactions were being watched by others.

Starting in early May, apart from Fujian and Jiaoguang where communication was lagging behind, military leaders of all ranks in Jiangnan, including Tian Jun, military governor of Ningguo Army, Li Shiyue, military governor of Zhongguo Army, Zhu Yanshou, military governor of Chengtian Army, Qian Liu, military governor of Zhenhai Army, Wu Tao, military governor of Eyue, Deng Jinzhong, prefect of Yuezhou, Dong Chang, military governor of Zhejiang East, and Liu Shouzhen, military governor of Jiangxi, also successively sent people to Bianliang by sea and land to pay homage.

The second group of officers involved in the operation were Zhao Kuangning from Jingzhou, Yuwen Qi from Xiakui, Zhao Kuangming from Xiangyang, Wang Jianzhao from Wutai Army, and Lei Man from Wuzhen Army.

Zhao, Wei, Qi, and Cang were also together.

Chengde sent Shangguan Daozi south with 30,000 sets of agricultural tools, a large number of treasures, and beautiful women.

Weibo was more pragmatic, so he sent his general Zhang Yan with more than 200,000 pigs and sheep to Bian to entertain the royal army.

The Qi envoy, acting on the orders of King Shifan, set off with thousands of volumes of books and classics.

Upon receiving the imperial edict, Ge Congzhou, who controlled the Taiping Army, just as he had decisively betrayed Huang Chao and Zhu Wen, resolutely chose to obey the edict—personally heading to Bianliang to seek acceptance from the court.

……

The whole world responded.

Perhaps there will be no movement in Hunan, Youzhou, Xuzhou, and Sichuan for the time being.

The establishment of the capital in the Central Plains was indeed as described.

This was the natural outcome of the sage's ten-year campaign.

With the arrival of these envoys, a new era of diplomacy began.

For a time, envoys from various towns lined the roads, and the themes of submission versus independence, alliance versus rejection became the main focus of this summer.

(End of this chapter)