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Chapter 1357 Queen
The reward bestowed upon Su Ning by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, was not only unexpected by Su Ning himself, but also by all the dignitaries of the Kaitian court. Many people could not help but feel envious and jealous of Su Ning.

You should know that the Grand Protector of Anxi Protectorate is of the first rank, which is already among the important officials of the Tang Dynasty court. It is not an exaggeration to describe Suning as a frontier official of the Tang Dynasty court.

So when the news came out of the palace, it immediately caused a sensation in the entire Chang'an City. The Su family mansion, which was previously deserted, became crowded with people. Those guys who were good at flattering the powerful and bullying the weak all wanted to come and build relationships.

The Su family's steward came to Su Ning and reported, "My Lord, the head of the Hedong Pei family in Chang'an City requests an audience."

"Hedong Pei family? These people are really good at flattering the powerful and looking down on the weak. They didn't even show up when Pei Xijun and I got married, but now they come here on their own initiative without saying anything." When Su Ning heard about Hedong Pei family, he couldn't help but feel a little disgusted. Of course, they ignored him, but now he made them feel out of his reach.

"Eh? Lord, no matter what, the Hedong Pei family is still a prominent family in the Tang Dynasty, and they are also the direct descendants of your wife's mother's family. How about you come forward to meet them?"

"Hmph! No! Why do you think His Majesty is willing to use me? Isn't it because I don't have any deep ties with the so-called aristocratic families?"

"This……"

"Just go out and tell them that I'm not feeling well and can't see any guests in the near future. Ask them to leave."

"Yes, my lord."

Suning never thought that he needed to take the trouble to maintain these people, because they were all a bunch of snobs who flattered the powerful and looked down on the weak. They also understood that their own weakness was their greatest advantage, so they naturally would not get entangled with these aristocratic families.

Since Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, was very much looking forward to making some changes to the Tang court, he definitely needed to cater to the mentality of this young emperor. He had to know that his next plans in the Western Regions and the Northern Frontier could not be separated from his support.

However, Suning's "ignorance" angered the noble families outside the door. They all thought that Suning was the kind of villain who became arrogant when he succeeded. The angry noble families immediately organized their own "Imperial Censor's Army" to impeach him. Of course, the focus of the impeachment was on Suning's lack of experience, and the money houses spread all over the Tang Dynasty were also one of the charges that Suning "exploited" the people.

However, this behavior of the aristocratic families made Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji very excited. What satisfied him most was that Suning had no deep involvement with those aristocratic families. Now the complete hostility between the two sides naturally made Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji even more surprised.

At this moment, Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji could not help but look at the eunuch Gao Lishi beside him in surprise and said, "Gao Lishi, I didn't expect our Wuwei Marquis to be so clever. He had already guessed my intentions and refused to ease relations with the Hedong Pei family."

"Your Majesty, a general like Marquis Wuwei who has no foundation naturally relies on Your Majesty, because only with Your Majesty's trust can he achieve success." Gao Lishi, who has been completely tied to Suning, was also very surprised.

"Well, that makes sense. This is why I chose to reuse him."

"Your Majesty is wise."

However, the young Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji was not as confused as he would be later in life. Instead, he gave those around him the impression of being shrewd and capable. "Gao Lishi, I heard that you also have a stake in Suning's bank?"

"Your Majesty, when Suning established this bank, Gao Lishi also invested a little of his family fortune, which means he owns no less than 10% of the shares in the bank." However, Gao Lishi, who knew Li Longji's temperament very well, was not too worried.

"Well, these are all small matters. As long as you are willing to work hard, I will never treat you unfairly or harshly."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your generosity!"

"The impeachments against Su Ning by the imperial censors have been retained. I believe they will soon feel bored and stop making such accusations. However, you still have to remind Su Ning to behave himself in Chang'an."

"Yes! Your Majesty, the strong man will go and warn the Marquis of Wuwei as soon as he gets back."

After leaving the imperial study, Gao Lishi came to Suning's mansion and told Suning about Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji's decision. After all, he was now completely tied to Suning.

Gao Lishi, who had left the palace and went straight to the Su family, looked at Su Ning in front of him and warned him, "Brother, His Majesty sent me here to warn you that it's best to keep a low profile in Chang'an City recently."

"I understand! Having suddenly occupied such an important position, I have now become the target of public criticism." Suning still had a calm expression.

"Well, I'm glad you understand. I know you like Meiji, and those wives and concubines have already been taken to Hanzhou. I will send you a few beautiful maids later."

"Huh? Forget it! After all, I won't be staying in Chang'an for long this time, so I don't need you to worry too much."

"Brother, there's no need for you and me to be so formal. In fact, I have many beautiful concubines in my mansion. They were all specially kept when His Majesty was selecting talents. Their beauty and figures are absolutely guaranteed to be top-notch."

At this moment, Su Ning was also stunned by Gao Lishi's audacity. He simply didn't take Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji seriously. "Huh? Second brother, it would be bad if His Majesty knew about this, right?"

"It's okay! Your Majesty doesn't care about such trivial matters. Besides, these beauties were eliminated during the talent selection. No one can find any faults with them." However, Gao Lishi smiled with an indifferent attitude.

Looking at Gao Lishi's indifferent attitude at this time, Suning couldn't help but think of the plot in a certain film and television drama. When the ministers were selecting concubines for the emperor, they would select the most beautiful ones and keep them, and then leave some ugly ones to the poor emperor. He didn't expect that film and television were really based on history and life.

"Forget it! How can I, big brother, take away your favorite thing?"

"Brother, you know I'm a cripple without any balls. I can only look at these beauties but not eat them. So I was planning to let them serve those big guys. It's better to leave the best ones for you, brother."

Then, Su Ning couldn't help but ask his own doubts. You know, this little thing in the imperial palace is no secret. "Li Shi, isn't it very popular in the palace to have sex with someone? Why do you go against the trend and keep yourself clean?"

At this moment, Gao Lishi looked at Su Ning with excitement and expressed his own ambitions. "Brother, you don't understand! My ambitions are not about these things. My greatest wish in life is to reach the highest position step by step. I want to leave a page in the history books of the Tang Dynasty that belongs to me, Gao Lishi. I want to become the most powerful eunuch in Chinese history."

"Alright! Lux, as your big brother, I will definitely help you realize your dream."

"Great! Then let us two brothers join forces and together we can achieve the highest positions in the Tang Dynasty court."

"Good! The highest position among officials."

Suning naturally understood that everyone in the world has his or her own ambitions, even a disabled person like Gao Lishi was no exception. Therefore, Suning had long realized that Gao Lishi was a guy who was unwilling to be lonely, which was why he quickly formed an alliance with Gao Lishi to cater to his wishes.

According to Suning's plan, he naturally had to gain a firm foothold in the Tang Dynasty court first, and then quickly become a famous official of the Tang Dynasty court. Then he would design a protracted fight between Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji and Princess Taiping. It would be best if the fight ended in a fight between the aunt and niece that resulted in both being injured and exhausted, because only in this way could he find the most suitable opportunity. Therefore, the trusted eunuch beside Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji was an important link to him.

……

Princess Taiping's life is indeed very difficult now. She has also understood what the trend of the times means. With the smooth ascension of Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji to the throne, the powerful people in the Tang Dynasty have gradually changed, which makes Princess Taiping feel that a storm is about to come.

Xue Bing, the chief historian of the Princess's Mansion, looked at Princess Taiping indignantly and said, "Princess, His Majesty is going too far. He has recently deposed many officials from the Princess's Mansion." "Humph! Suning has done such a big thing in Hanzhou in the Western Regions. Naturally, it makes my nephew mistakenly believe that he has secured the throne. That's why he doesn't take my official position seriously." Princess Taiping was naturally filled with regret at this time. She didn't expect that Su Ning, who had no background, would achieve such a great achievement.

"Princess, we can't just turn a blind eye like this any longer. Our Princess Mansion must fight back!"

"Fight back? Oh! How easy is that!"

"Princess, why don't we cut the Gordian knot and lead our troops directly into the palace? As long as we control His Majesty and then rescue the Emperor, then our Tang Dynasty will naturally have a second empress."

However, Princess Taiping drove Xue Changshi away without much interest. After all, she still couldn't make up her mind. "Alright! Xue Changshi, you should go down and have a good rest. We can discuss this matter later."

"This... is! Your Highness the Princess."

Then Xue Bing, the chief historian of Princess Taiping's mansion, left with a look of disappointment on his face. He realized that Princess Taiping still had no intention of killing Li Longji, otherwise Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Li Longji would never have been able to ascend the throne smoothly. He couldn't help but feel a sense of softness in his heart.

However, Princess Taiping understood the urgency of the situation, but she really did not want to engage in violence with her nephew. Most importantly, she just wanted to reach a balance with Li Longji.

However, Princess Taiping's idea was destined to be her wishful thinking. No one could tolerate others sleeping soundly under their bed. The idea that there cannot be two tigers in one mountain is destined to lead to a dead end.

Princess Taiping, who was preoccupied with her own affairs, could not help but panic when she found a stranger suddenly appeared in front of her. "Who?"

"Your Highness, I am Liao Kai, the commander of the Jinyiwei of the Great Zhou Dynasty." The mysterious man in front of him still introduced himself while hiding in the darkness.

"Hmph! Where did this villain come from? There is no Jinyiwei in my Tang Dynasty. As for the Queen Mother's Zhou Dynasty, I have never heard of it. Tell me your true identity quickly." Princess Taiping had never heard of the "Jinyiwei" department in the Tang Dynasty. Naturally, she thought that this was some villain.

"Your Highness, the Jinyiwei of the Great Zhou Dynasty was founded by the Empress Dowager when she was Queen. They have always been monitoring the movements inside and outside the court for the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager is the only one in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty who knows about and is personally responsible for them. That is why Your Highness knows nothing about the Jinyiwei."

"Oh? Are you Jinyiwei more powerful than the Bad Guys?"

"To be honest, Princess, the Bad Guys are just little brothers in front of the Imperial Guards. After all, we are the most mysterious personal army under the control of the Queen Mother."

"Jinyiwei? Commander Liao Kai? Interesting! Now that the Queen has passed away, who is in charge of your Jinyiwei?"

"Your Highness, we, the Jinyiwei, are loyal only to the Empress. Furthermore, before her death, the Empress ordered that your personal safety be guaranteed in the event of danger. If you intend to become the second female emperor of the Tang Dynasty, all 200,000 Jinyiwei from the Jinyiwei Zhenfu Division will be under the Empress's command."

"What? You Jinyiwei have 200,000 people?"

"That's right! The Jinyiwei Zhenfu Division has one commander, two deputy commanders, seven frugal commanders, twelve Zhenfu envoys, and also has thousand households, deputy thousand households, centurions, deputy centurions, general flags, deputy general flags, small flags, and deputy small flags."

"Liao Kai, can you please tell me what important matter is going on? I don't believe that you Jinyiwei would show up for no reason."

"His Majesty has decided to take action in ten days. At that time, His Majesty will send troops to encircle and suppress the entire Princess's Mansion."

"What? Li Longji is truly ambitious. He's ready to kill me so quickly?"

"Your Highness, there is no time to lose. If you are interested in becoming the Empress of the Tang Dynasty, we, the Jinyiwei, will escort you out of Chang'an City."

"Hmph! Aren't you Jinyiwei claiming to have two hundred thousand men? Why don't you help me eliminate Li Longji?"

"Your Highness, you don't know! The members of the Jinyiwei are quite special, and their identities are usually quite secretive. After all, their main responsibility is to spy on the world for the Queen. In addition, there are many elite soldiers and generals in Chang'an City now, such as Wuwei Hou Suning, Jinwuwei General Lu Tong, Qianniuwei General Lu Sian, etc., none of them can be easily contended with by us Jinyiwei."

"Then...where else can I go?"

"Luoyang, the Eastern Capital."

"Dongdu?"

"That's right! The emperors of the Tang Dynasty have always weakened the aristocratic families. We can win them over and then work with Your Majesty to divide and rule."

"Well, Liao Kai, what you said makes sense. Dongdu Luoyang is indeed the most suitable place for me."

"Your Highness, your grandfather, father, mother, and brothers are all emperors. There is no woman in the entire Tang Dynasty with a more noble status than you. It would be a shame if you didn't flee Chang'an City as soon as possible and become emperor."

"That's right! Lord Liao, you're absolutely right. Why should I be the prey while Li Longji is the butcher? There's no one in the world more suitable to be the empress than me."

"Your Majesty is wise."

"Haha, Lord Liao, after I successfully ascend the throne in the Eastern Palace, I will definitely appoint you as the Grand Commander of the Tang Army, and you will be fully responsible for the upcoming war with Li Longji."

"Yes! Your Majesty, I, Liao Kai, will lead the troops and die on the battlefield."

"Haha, good! It seems that the Queen still loves me the most."

"..."

This Jinyiwei commander Liao Kai who suddenly appeared was naturally arranged by Suning. His purpose was nothing more than to persuade Princess Taiping to flee to the eastern capital Luoyang and establish another court. In this way, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Li Longji would naturally rely on himself more and more.

In fact, the so-called Kaiyuan Prosperity of Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji was all due to the good foundation laid by his ancestors. To put it bluntly, Li Longji's actual level was not enough to control the Tang Empire. This was the fundamental reason for the outbreak of the Anshi Rebellion that later brought disaster to the country and the people.

Therefore, the future development of the Tang Dynasty depends entirely on Li Longji's respect for himself. If Li Longji can maintain his trust as always, Suning does not mind making Li Longji's Tang Dynasty a truly prosperous Tang Dynasty.

If Li Longji played some tricks on him, Suning would definitely replace the Tang Dynasty court without hesitation.

……

(End of this chapter)