Return to the Tang Dynasty to be a villain

Chapter 37: I dare not forget about my country despite my humble position

He gestured to Gao Xianzhi to pour a cup of tea for Qin Zhong, and Qin Yi looked at him in confusion.

"Uncle Zhong, don't be anxious. Tell me slowly. What happened?"

Qin Zhong drank the water in the teacup in one gulp, and then told Qin Yi what he had heard in one breath.

It turned out that early this morning, Qin Zhong followed Qin Yi's arrangements and prepared to go to Caodianzi Village again.

But unexpectedly, as soon as I reached the gate of Tonghua Gate, I suddenly heard the people there making a commotion.

It turned out that the imperial court issued Wu Zhao's imperial edict early this morning.

Thirteen years ago, Li Xian, the Prince of Luling, who was deposed from the throne and exiled to Fangzhou, was finally returning to Chang'an.

"Da Lang," Qin Zhong's expression was extremely grim. "Prince Luling suffered this misfortune because of a dispute with your grandfather."

"I've often heard people say that His Royal Highness Prince Luling has been living in Fangzhou these past few years, and his life has been very miserable."

"I'm afraid he won't let you and the Second Master off easily when he returns to Chang'an this time."

"Da Lang, you should plan ahead for this matter!"

Is Li Xian finally coming back? Qin Yi pondered in his heart.

This news was indeed bad news for him.

Although Li Xian was a cowardly person, and during Wu Zetian's reign, he basically kept a low profile and was extremely cautious.

But his princess Wei Shuqing was not an easy person to get along with.

She did a lot of stupid things in her life, but two of them were the most despicable.

One is that he and Wu Sansi were committing debauchery in the palace and were so arrogant that they had a secret meeting in front of Li Xian.

The second was that he was bewitched by Wu Sansi and Princess Anle Li Gui'er, and wanted to emulate Wu Zhao and become emperor, and he actually poisoned Li Xian, who had been with her for half his life.

The conflict between Li Xian and Wu Zetian was caused by her instigating Li Xian to appoint her father Wei Xuanzhen as the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

Therefore, her historical evaluation can only be described by the eight words "greedy, shameless, stupid and lewd".

Qin Zhong had no choice but to panic when he heard the news that Li Xian was returning to Chang'an, because he knew that once Wei Shuqing regained power, the good days of the Qin family would be over.

After figuring out the whole story and Qin Zhong's worries, Qin Yi shook his head indifferently.

"Uncle Zhong, the court has only issued an imperial edict to summon His Royal Highness Prince Luling back to the capital. You don't have to worry too much."

"I believe that His Royal Highness Prince Luling's return from Fangzhou will take quite a while, not only due to the delays on the road, but also due to the preparations ahead."

"According to this calculation, it will take at least three to five months for Prince Luling to arrive in Chang'an."

"Who knows what changes will happen in the next three to five months?"

Qin Yi said this, picked up the teacup in front of him and took a sip of water, then thought for a moment before continuing.

"Furthermore, after Prince Luling returned to the capital, not only the Wu clan princes were eyeing him covetously."

"Even the relationship between the current Crown Prince and him is bound to be extremely complicated."

"His Royal Highness Prince Luling's sudden return will undoubtedly make the already complex situation in Chang'an even more turbulent."

"A small character like our Licheng County Lord might not be able to catch the eye of the Luling Palace for a while."

Qin Zhong also knew that Qin Yi was comforting himself.

Although what he said made some sense, the worries in his heart still lingered.

Qin Zhong was thinking about what Qin Yi had told him. After reporting to Qin Yi, with deep worry in his eyes, he left Qin Yi's courtyard again.

Watching Qin Zhong's departing figure, Qin Yi suddenly slapped his forehead. "Oh no! I almost forgot something important!"

"Da Lang, Da Lang, you haven't had your breakfast yet!"

He rushed out of the yard, not caring about Hongwei's anxious shouts behind him.

Half an hour later, Qin Yi hurried to the outside of the Suzaku Gate.

Qin Yi did not enter the shop he rented here, nor did he even take a look at it. Instead, he was concentrating on looking at every person who walked out of the Suzaku Gate.

The reason why Qin Yi was standing here at this moment was because he suddenly remembered a record that Zhang Shuo, who served as the attendant during this period, had made in the "Qijuzhu".

When Wu Zetian recalled Li Xian, she also gave him the Prince Yong's Mansion, which belonged to her second son Li Xian.

However, it has been twelve years since Li Xian was forced to commit suicide by Qiu Shenji, and the former Prince Yong's Palace has long been in ruins.

After all, Li Xian was Wu Zetian's biological son. Who would dare to be careless in his mansion?

Therefore, as soon as the clan affairs office received the imperial edict, it immediately set about renovating the palace with great fanfare, but ended up delaying an important matter.

That was Li Chongrun, the eldest son of Prince Luling.

Since Li Xian was deposed from the throne thirteen years ago, the three-year-old Li Chongrun was imprisoned in the Ye Ting Palace by Wu Zetian.

Therefore, in Zhang Shuo's "Qijuzhu", a very absurd thing was recorded.

That is, after the chief steward of the Ye Ting received the news that Li Xian was recalled to the capital, he released Li Chongrun.

However, the officials of the Ministry of Clan Affairs made a mistake in their haste and forgot about this matter.

As a result, the Prince of Luling was left unattended in the square outside the Suzaku Gate for three full hours.

However, for Qin Yi, these three hours were a rare opportunity for him.

Imagine a boy who was imprisoned at the age of three and remained in prison until he was sixteen.

As soon as he was released from prison, he found himself with nowhere to go. One can imagine how helpless and bewildered he felt.

What position can the person who appears in front of him at this time and points him in the right direction occupy in his heart?
This is probably why when gang bosses are released from prison, their followers hold a welcoming ceremony at the prison gate. The sunlight in late March is already quite powerful.

Qin Yi only stood in the sun for less than an incense stick of time, and he felt warm all over.

Suddenly, a young man with a handsome face and a thin figure walked out from the Suzaku Gate with a hesitant look on his face.

The young man was wearing a slightly oversized robe with a lapel. His handsome face was pale and his eyes were filled with confusion.

Li Chongrun, the Prince of Luling, should be him.

This kind of stupid temperament can only be displayed by someone who has been imprisoned for more than ten years.

Qin Yi hurriedly strode forward, walked up to the young man and bowed.

"Excuse me, are you His Royal Highness the Prince of Luling?"

"Ah?" The young man seemed to be frightened by Qin Yi.

He raised his head with some doubt, and looked at the man in front of him with vigilance. He was only a few years older than him. Although he had a handsome face, his smile was very cunning.

Damn it! Qin Yi finally realized that this child had become stupid due to being locked up.

It was no wonder that he had no reaction when he heard what he said. It was normal for a boy who had been a prisoner since he was three years old and was only three years old now to have insufficient brainpower.

So, Qin Yi didn't plan to be polite to him, mainly because the other party wouldn't understand even if he asked polite questions!

"Is your name Li Chongrun?"

The young man was silent again, and then nodded quickly as if he suddenly understood.

"I am Li Chongrun. What could you wish for from me, sir?"

It turned out to be him. Qin Yi was overjoyed and grabbed Li Chongrun's arm.

"Your Highness, I am Qin Yi, the grandson of Duke Ji. I heard that you came out of the palace today, so I came here to pick you up."

After hearing Qin Yi's words, Li Chongrun relaxed his guard a little.

To be honest, he is still a little confused about what happened.

He originally lived a good life in the palace. Every day he only had to clean three to five hundred toilets sent from the palace, and the rest of his time was free.

Every day he would be given a few Hu pancakes and a bowl of vegetable soup. If he was lucky, the nobles in the palace would even reward him with some meat snacks.

In addition, there are several other young ladies who are also children of convicted officials. They can get together and play when they have free time. Their lives are quite carefree.

However, who would have thought that early this morning, an old eunuch with extraordinary demeanor came to the palace.

This old eunuch must be a very important person. Even the chief steward of the imperial palace was very respectful and had a fawning smile on his face when he saw him.

The old eunuch simply read out an imperial edict and was politely escorted out of the palace.

Until now, this incident still makes Li Chongrun feel as if it is a dream and unbelievable.

After thinking for a long time, Li Chongrun's mind was still a mess.

But I finally figured out that the person in front of me is probably not a bad person.

After all, Duke Ji Qin Qiong was a loyal minister and general who protected the Tang Dynasty, and his descendants must also be loyal ministers of the Li family.

"Thank you, Mr. Qin, for coming to meet me. Do you know what this is all about?"

Li Chongrun bowed to Qin Yi with a sincere look on his face. He really wanted to find out what was going on.

Looking at the future King Shao, who was described in history books as handsome, benevolent and filial, Qin Yi felt a little disappointed.

Although Li Chongrun in front of him has a handsome appearance, he looks a little stupid and dull no matter how you look at him.

But this is not surprising. After all, the child entered the Yunting when he was three years old. He was only sixteen years old and spent most of his life in that dark place.

But speaking of it, this child's life was quite pitiful. After being released, he only had a few years of good life before he was framed and killed by Zhang Yizhi, who was now Qin Yi's lackey.

"Ugh"

Sighing, Qin Yi touched Li Chongrun's head and described the current situation to him.

"The Qin family is old, so I don't need to go back to the palace anymore?"

Li Chongrun had an expression of disbelief and surprise on his face. He grabbed Qin Yi's hands and asked him anxiously.

Qin Yi smiled and nodded without saying anything, and only then did Li Chongrun believe that all this was true.

"Then what should I do next?"

Li Chongrun finally understood the current situation and saw Qin Yi as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw.

Qin Yi pondered for a moment, then looked up at Li Chongrun and said.

"I have heard it said, 'Even though I am in a low position, I dare not forget my concerns for the country, and I must wait until I am buried before things are settled.'"

"Even if we are just ordinary people, as long as we are alive, we must care about our country and the people."

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince, is a descendant of the royal family and the grandson of the Holy Emperor. Naturally, you have a heavy responsibility on your shoulders. You must shoulder the responsibility of protecting the vast and magnificent land of the Great Zhou."

"This"

Although Li Chongrun was imprisoned in the palace since he was young, he was able to learn some literature with the help of the eunuchs in the palace.

Qin Yi recited Lu Fangweng's two touching lines of poetry, which immediately made him feel excited.

"Qin Jia Dalang, I have taken note of what you said, but I have never learned the principles of governing a country. How can I do what you said?"

(End of this chapter)