Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 156 Loyalty to the Emperor is the Foundation of a Subject
Luoyang is still the same Luoyang, a big city with a population of more than 700,000.

Whoever controls this city can control half of the Northern Wei Dynasty.

In March of the third year of Xiaochang, General Li Shengui led his army over Zhongtiao Mountain and arrived at Shaanxi City, and General Erzhu Rong led his army out of Jinyang and arrived at Shangdang.

The storm may be coming soon, but the city of Luoyang is still sunny and bright.

The most talked about topic in the market was that the Yuan family had a new daughter, Princess Pingyuan, who was about to get married.

A woman of eighteen or nineteen is considered old in this era. An ordinary woman at this age might already be a mother of two children.

It is said that this princess of the Yuan clan was extremely beautiful, but she came from a poor family. Her father was the king of the Yuan clan, but because of treason, the whole family was implicated.

She grew up in Yeyouting, and later was favored by the Empress Dowager and promoted to be by Empress Hu's side.

After Empress Hu came to power again, she promoted her to the position of Female Attendant, and she was extremely powerful for the time.

It is said that she and the Duke of Tang were a perfect match. They parted on the Yellow River floating bridge, and the poem that the Duke of Tang sent to her became a hit in Luoyang.

There was a lot of discussion on the streets, but Yuan Mingyue, who was the central figure in this matter, had no intention of listening to these gossips at the moment.

Yuan Mingyue, who had been officially canonized as a princess and was waiting to be married at home, changed into an inconspicuous cloth dress and a veil and came to a teahouse.

The storyteller in the teahouse was telling stories about the Three Kingdoms. Led by the servant in the teahouse, Yuan Mingyue was taken to a side courtyard.

After two years, Yuan Mingyue couldn't help but tremble in her heart when she looked at the man she had been thinking about day and night again.

"You came!"

"I am coming!"

"You shouldn't have come!"

"But I'm already here!"

Li Shuang looked at the woman in front of him. He hadn't seen her for two years. Her body was no longer so thin. She had lost her youthfulness and become mature. There was a look of sadness on her beautiful face.

In just a few seconds, Yuan Mingyue could no longer suppress the longing in her heart, took a few steps forward, and threw herself into Li Shuang's arms.

Ordinary people in Luoyang City could not feel the danger, but how could Yuan Mingyue, who was at the center of power, not feel it?

The conflict between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor became increasingly intense.

If something goes wrong, there will be chaos.

Li Shuang felt the warm body in his arms, hugged her for a long time, and patted her shoulder gently.

"Okay, take me to see the Queen Mother!"

Twin Temple.

In this temple built by Queen Hu to pray for her father, Yuan Mingyue and Li Shuang avoided the heavy guards and met Queen Hu.

The Empress Dowager was accompanied by her sister, Hu Xuanhui!

Hu Xuanhui was chanting scriptures for her father, and she ignored the outsiders who came in.

The moment she saw Li Shuang, Queen Hu was angry.

"Erzhu Rong's troops stopped at Shangdang. What exactly are they planning to do?"

"To be honest, Your Majesty, the Duke of Liang mobilized his troops only after receiving an order from His Majesty to send him south to support the King."

"Then should I let Erzhu Rong return to Jinyang?"

"The Queen Mother's words may not be so effective for the Duke of Liang."

"You are brave!"

Although Queen Hu suppressed her voice and did not want to alarm the people outside, she still acted like a ferocious beast.

Yuan Mingyue, who was standing next to Li Shuang, was afraid that Queen Hu would impulsively summon soldiers and capture Li Shuang.

"Queen Dowager, in my opinion, there is a way to resolve this dilemma."

"What do you think!"

"The Queen Mother returns power to Your Majesty!"

When these words were spoken, murderous intent appeared on Queen Hu's face.

"I really didn't realize you were so loyal to the emperor."

"Loyalty to the emperor is the foundation of a minister." Queen Hu stretched out her hand, pointed at Li Shuang, and sneered.

"Don't think I won't kill you just because you're in this temple!"

Li Shuang was dismissive of this.

"To be honest with you, Your Majesty, within these ten steps, I can take your life in a single thought."

As soon as these words were spoken, the sound of chanting in the room disappeared. Except for Hu Xuanhui, the other two women all looked incredulous.

Yuan Mingyue's heart trembled slightly. Her man was so handsome.

Queen Hu took two steps back in fear, as if she was really worried that Li Shuang would come forward.

But after a long time, seeing that Li Shuang did not move, Queen Hu calmed down.

"To tell you the truth, I need a favor from you, okay?"

Li Shuang lost his previous aggressiveness and a smile appeared on his face.

"If you had said so earlier, it would have been over!"

Li Shuang's words left Queen Hu speechless. She sat down and said:

"Although the emperor agreed to let Erzhu Rong temporarily halt his troops, he also did not allow Li Shengui to continue his advance."

For Empress Hu, if this situation can be maintained, it is not a bad situation.

At least, the situation in Luoyang can be stabilized temporarily.

But the problem lies in Hebei.

The rebellion of Guangyang King Yuan Shen made the situation in Hebei more complicated. After discussion, the court sent reinforcements.

King Yuan Hao of Beihai led 20,000 troops from Luoyang to Yecheng to guard Xiangzhou and protect the security of Luoyang's northeast.

The departure of Li Shengui's brother-in-law Yuan Hao made people in Luoyang City restless.

"After Yuan Hao left Luoyang, a group of people around the emperor planned a palace coup. Your Majesty and I have lost trust in each other. After much thought, I think only you can help me find the mastermind behind this palace coup!"

"The mastermind!" Li Shuang thought without hesitation, "Could it be Yuan Ziyou?"

Queen Hu shook her head, very sure.

"It's not that I underestimate him, he's just not capable of that yet, not to mention the Emperor has been distancing himself from him lately."

As she spoke, Queen Hu took out a gold medal and handed it to Li Shuang.

"With this sign, you can go anywhere in Luoyang City. You can also mobilize the imperial guards, but it's best to find my trusted confidants. As long as you find this person, I promised you the Dukedom, and I won't break my promise!"

"promise!"

After Queen Hu finished her instructions, she left first, leaving her sister behind.
-
Twin Girls Temple at night.

Hu Xuanhui was still chanting scriptures, and she seemed to be unaware that outsiders had come in.

"When old friends meet, don't you want to say anything?"

When Li Shuang's voice came, Hu Xuanhui stopped chanting.

"How did you guess it was mine?"

"Aren't you the only one who could gain the emperor's trust, be chosen as his advisor, and make Empress Hu unable to find you?"

Hu Xuanhui smiled. It seemed that her legs were numb after kneeling for too long. She relaxed her body and stroked her legs with her hands to soothe the meridians in her legs.

"Since you guessed it was me, why don't you tell the Queen Mother? That way, you can get the Dukedom, marry the beauty, and leave this vortex of Luoyang."

Li Shuang was not so anxious and said:

"You can't run away, and I want to know why you did this."

"To save my sister, of course!"

Hu Xuanhui stood up and looked at Li Shuang.

"Making her lose power is the only way to save her!"

……

(End of this chapter)