Lanting prelude
Chapter 59 Absconding
Chapter 59 Absconding
In the chaos, no one noticed that after Li Anyan got off the tower, he didn't walk into the palace, but walked quickly in the opposite direction, and disappeared into the thick night in a blink of an eye.
"...This is the arrangement I made in Baifudian and Shangshusheng."
On the roof of a tall building in Pingkangfang, Xiao Junmo confided most of his defense plans to Chu Lisang.Finally, he glanced at Tai Chi Palace from afar, and said: "If I'm not wrong, the power of the medicine on the Prince's body should take effect at this moment."
"The effect of the medicine?" Chu Lisang didn't hear him talking about it just now, and suddenly felt surprised, "Did you ask someone to give the prince medicine?"
Xiao Junmo nodded.
"Shouldn't you want his life?"
"Of course, it's just a little sweat medicine in the wine."
"Who did you arrange to do it? King Wu?" Chu Lisang was very curious.
"There are so many people at the palace banquet, and there are eyes staring everywhere, how could the King of Wu have the chance to do something?" Xiao Junmo said, "In fact, I didn't even tell him about arranging for the medicine to be administered."
Chu Lisang was surprised: "Why didn't you tell him?"
"If he knew everything in advance, his reaction would be untrue, and it would inevitably show signs of deceit." Xiao Junmo smiled, "What a shrewd person is the emperor, how can he not see the flaws? So, I deliberately concealed a part of it." , I just want the King of Wu to adapt to the situation and play on the spot, so as to win the trust of the emperor."
Chu Lisang thought for a while and felt that it made sense, so he followed up the question just now and asked: "Then who did you arrange for the prince to be drugged?"
"Well, don't ask for now." Xiao Junmo smiled mysteriously, "I will tell you when it's time for you to know."
Chu Lisang thought that there were still many parts about the coup that were not clear, so there was no need to dwell on this trivial matter, so he asked again: "Then, have you made arrangements for the Wei Palace?"
"Of course." Xiao Junmo said, "I sent an anonymous letter to King Wei, telling him that tonight there will be a force that should not be underestimated to attack King Wei's residence at night."
"Is this Jianghu force you're talking about a member of our Heavenly Punishment Alliance?"
Xiao Junmo nodded: "Xie An's descendant, Xie Shaozong of Xi Tang Duo."
Chu Lisang suddenly remembered something: "I remember you said that King Wei is the murderer who murdered your adoptive father. You will seek revenge on him sooner or later, but why do you want to save him this time?"
"I can't just let him die like this, it's too cheap for him." Xiao Junmo said coldly, "I will make him pay a higher price than death."
"What is a greater price than death?" Chu Lisang was puzzled.
A cold light flashed in Xiao Junmo's eyes: "Defeat, betrayal, stay away from court, exile in frontiers, and taste the bitter fruit of failure for the rest of his life. All of these are the real punishment for a person like King Wei, and it is his deserved retribution."
Seeing the cold light flashing in his eyes, Chu Lisang couldn't help feeling a hint of worry in his heart.
My mother used to tell her that people are easily changed by the environment, and people tend to change their appearance after staying in a certain place for a long time. That's why the ancients said, "If you stay close to vermilion, you will be red; if you are close to ink, you will be black."Now, Xiao Junmo is in such a vortex of power struggle, and what he faces every day is intrigues, schemes and murders. Will he become a ruthless person chasing power over time?
Xie Shaozong set off eight bundles of five-color fireworks on the side street outside the south gate of Wei Wangfu.
For Chang'an, where "fire trees and silver flowers are never in the night", these fireworks will not attract anyone's attention at all, but for the members of Xitang Duo who are ambushing around the Wei Palace, this signal is undoubtedly very eye-catching.
After sending out the signal, Xie Shaozong led more than a hundred capable men to directly enter the Wei Palace from the south gate.
Things went well at first, because the guards of the Wei Palace had never expected to be raided on such a festive and peaceful night.Xie Shaozong went all the way like a broken bamboo, and soon reached the main hall of Wei Wangfu.He believed that since the intrusion from the front did not encounter any decent resistance, the subordinates who rushed in from the north, west, and east would not encounter much trouble.So he concluded that the bloodbath of King Wei's mansion had been mostly successful so far, and the only thing left was to find King Wei and behead him.
The main hall door was closed tightly and the lights were dim, making it impossible to see what was going on inside.
When Xie Shaozong led the crowd into the courtyard in front of the hall, he suddenly felt that the ground was extremely slippery, and there was a creaking sound when he stepped on it.Because they rushed too fast, by the time they realized it, more than half of their subordinates had slipped and fell to the ground one after another.
Xie Shaozong suddenly felt bad.
While being suspicious, those subordinates who slipped and fell behind got up one after another. Xie Shaozong turned his head and turned pale with shock.
Their legs, bodies, and hands were all stained with a dark, viscous, unknown fluid.
Stone water!
Xie Shaozong suddenly realized that this is stone fat water, also called stone paint, which is an extremely flammable liquid. Once people touch it, just add a spark to ignite it, and it will be swallowed by the flames immediately!
"Quick retreat!" Xie Shaozong burst into a heart-piercing shout.
However, it was too late.
Before the words were finished, countless rockets were fired from all directions.In an instant, the courtyard in front of the main hall turned into a sea of flames, and most of Xie Shaozong's subordinates naturally also fell into the hellish flames.
Only Xie Shaozong and a few confidants around him reacted quickly, and they ran quickly to the steps at the entrance of the main hall before the rockets fell.Several people turned around in shock, only to see more than a hundred brothers running wildly in the sea of flames, their screams resounding through the night sky.A small number of men who were not burned tried to escape, but were hacked and killed one by one by a group of men in black who suddenly came out from the surrounding darkness.
Xie Shaozong looked at this tragic scene in horror and realized that he had been betrayed!
Obviously, the raid plan had been leaked in advance, and at this time the other three subordinates must have also been ambushed.It is conceivable that the actions of the crown prince and Hou Junji may have failed.
"Xitang, don't come here without any harm!"
Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind.Xie Shaozong was startled and turned around abruptly, only to see a man wearing a bronze mask coming out of the main hall surrounded by a group of men in black.
"Mingzang?!" Xie Shaozong said two words from his hoarse throat.
Wang Hongyi stood still, took off his mask, and smiled triumphantly: "Xitang, Jiangling has been apart for more than 20 years, right? I really didn't expect that we would meet under such circumstances."
Back then, Zhiyong took six or seven sub-rudders to Jiangling to assist Xiao Xian, and Mingzang and Xitang were two of them.Although Xie Shaozong left first, he worked with Wang Hongyi for a short time.
Xie Shaozong smiled wryly: "Wang Hongyi, you and I are both members of the Heavenly Punishment League, but you are able to deal with such a ruthless hand!"
Wang Hongyi chuckled: "It's all up to each other! If I were to attack the East Palace at night today, you would definitely welcome me in the same way, right?"
"Since last year's Li Feng case, King Wei has been abolished. Wang Hongyi, what good results can you expect from assisting him?" Instead, he relaxed.
"Yeah, you're right. Originally, the King of Wei really had no hope, but you and the prince have done this tonight, it's like doing the King of Wei a big favor, and it's also like doing me a favor. Speaking of it , I have to thank you and the prince!"
Xie Shaozong snorted coldly: "Even if the crown prince falls, do you think that King Wei will be able to enter the East Palace? Don't forget, the celebrity next to Li Shimin is not King Wei, but King Wu."
Hearing this, Wang Hongyi couldn't help being silent for a moment, and then smiled: "Xie Shaozong, we haven't seen each other for so many years, so let's stop talking about these boring court disputes, let's catch up on the old days."
"What do you want to say?" Xie Shaozong said coldly.
"I want to say, actually you Xie Shaozong's ambition, I saw it when I was in Jiangling. You just want to be like your ancestor Xie An, to become a prime minister who governs the country and is famous in history. Am I right? But you left During those years in Jiangling, you started a business with all your heart and bought a lot of copper mines in various places in the world. This behavior confused me for a while, making me think that you were tired of power struggles and planned to retire from the world. But until I just discovered today that in fact, you have been keeping a low profile for so many years, with the goal of making a comeback one day! Now it seems that I underestimated you. Back then, Xie An didn’t become an official until he was in his 40s. You have learned the allusion of "Resurrection", and now you, Xie Shaozong, can be said to have learned it perfectly! It's a pity that your heart is higher than the sky, but your life is thinner than paper. You have no ambitions, but you followed the wrong master, and you ended up where you are today. Bu Tiandi, I really feel sorry for you!"
"Wang Hongyi, you don't have to rush to laugh at me." Xie Shaozong still sneered, "I don't deny that I, Xie Shaozong, really want to track down our ancestors and make a great achievement. If this is the ambition you mentioned, then what about you, Wang Hongyi? Not only do you want to usurp the power of the Sky Punishment League by all means, but you also want to use the organization to help you regain the glory of "the king and the horse share the world". But in my opinion, you are purely dreaming! Based on what you have done , I can guarantee that not only will you get nothing in the end, but the brothers in this alliance will join forces against you. So, how do you know that my today is not your tomorrow? I even dare to assert that your final end will be Worse than me!"
After hearing this, Wang Hongyi was not only not angry, but laughed loudly: "Xie Shaozong, I understand your current mood very well. It is indeed difficult for such a proud and arrogant person like you to accept such a tragic failure! So, if you want to scold, you can Scold, I don't have the same knowledge as you. But I still want to remind you that your time is running out, if you have any last words to explain, just say it quickly. Seeing that you and I are allies, I will help you You pass on your last words to your descendants—if you have not been exterminated by the court, and there are still descendants alive."
"No need." Xie Shaozong raised the horizontal knife with a determined face, "You should think about your last words, you will need them soon."
Wang Hongyi sneered silently and waved his hand lightly.
Wei Laoliu behind him immediately rushed forward with a dozen of his men.At this moment, on Xie Shaozong's side, including him, there were only four people left, obviously outnumbered.But at this moment, they had no choice but to fight to the death.
There is no suspense in this fight.After the two sides fought for about a stick of incense, three of Xie Shaozong's subordinates were killed one after another, and he himself was injured in many places.Of course, Wei Lao Liu also paid the price of six or seven casualties.
During this period, Wang Hongyi has been quietly watching the battle with his hands behind his back.In the end, just when Xie Shaozong was exhausted and about to die under Wei Laoliu's sword, Wang Hongyi stopped suddenly, then walked up to Xie Shaozong, and said seriously, "Brother, no matter how you say it, you are considered a hero of the Heavenly Punishment League. Others are not qualified to kill you. Your head should be taken by me."
Xie Shaozong was dripping with blood all over his body.He tried his best to press the knife on the ground, so that he could not fall down.
"That's not bad." Xie Shaozong smiled miserably, "Then do I have to thank you for your kindness?"
"You're welcome." Wang Hongyi slowly drew out his saber, "It's easy."
Xie Shaozong looked directly into Wang Hongyi's eyes with a smile on his face.
The knife flashed, and Xie Shaozong's head flew out, but his body still maintained its original posture, and it took a while for him to collapse.
When Xie Shaozong's group was engulfed by hellish flames, the other three groups were also killed by Wang Hongyi's men who had ambushed in advance.On the way in from the north gate of Wei Wangfu, two of them were so brave that they went straight to the Buddhist hall where Li Tai was.
At that time, Li Tai and Su Jinse were concentrating on chanting sutras, when the two killers broke into the door suddenly, scaring Su Jinse into screaming.Li Tai didn't change his face, and quickly pulled out a delicate short knife hidden in advance from under the incense table, and turned to fight back, but within a few rounds, the two were ended.
Su Jinse looked at him in surprise: "You also hid weapons in the Buddhist hall?"
Li Tai smiled and said nothing, took the blood-stained knife and wiped the two corpses a few times, and then said softly: "Amitabha."
On this bloody night, Prince Li Chengqian's coup d'état had four battlefields. In addition to Baifu Palace, Shangshusheng, and Wei Wangfu, there was another one, which was Xuanwu Gate.
When the dust settled on the other three battlefields, Li Anyan and Feng Shijin were still standing side by side on the majestic tower of Xuanwumen, waiting for the signal from the plan.
According to the original plan, once the prince succeeds in Baifu Hall, three bunches of fireworks, one red, one green and one yellow, will be set off.
However, since Feng Shijin led his troops to sneak into Xuanwu Gate this afternoon until now, he has seen countless fireworks rising and falling from far and near, but he has never seen the agreed signal.
As time passed bit by bit, Feng Shijin became more and more restless, and finally had no choice but to say to Li Anyan: "General Li, the situation doesn't seem to be right, I have to take someone over to have a look."
The agreed signal did not appear, which was completely expected by Li Anyan.At this moment, he can almost conclude that the prince's actions have been thwarted.Therefore, according to the plan he and Xiao Junmo agreed in advance, the next thing to do is to clean up Master Feng and enter.
"Alright, General Feng, don't worry, I'll leave this place to me." Li Anyan said calmly.
Feng Shijin clasped his fists at him, then took a few cronies and turned around to leave.
At this time, more than a hundred of Feng Shijin's subordinates were waiting under the tower, while the dozens of imperial guards on the tower were all Li Anyan's men.Li Anyan gave his subordinates a wink, and dozens of forbidden soldiers immediately drew their knives out of their sheaths, and surrounded Feng Shijin and others.Immediately afterwards, Li Anyan uttered another loud whistle, and then hundreds of forbidden troops rushed out from all directions, quickly surrounding the Donggong soldiers under the tower.
Feng Shijin turned pale with shock, turned his head and glared: "Li Anyan, what do you want to do?!"
"Feng Shijin, the crown prince is finished, you surrender." Li Anyan said indifferently, "Now you have only this way to go."
Feng Shijin was taken aback for a moment, and he realized it after a while, he couldn't help being furious: "Li Anyan, how dare you betray the prince!"
"You are wrong." Li Anyan interrupted him, "I have never taken refuge in the crown prince."
It was only at this point that Feng Shijin finally came to his senses, and immediately drew his knife, roaring angrily to rush over.However, he had no chance to fight Li Anyan, because the dozens of guards next to him were not for display.In a blink of an eye, the upper and lower towers were in a state of melee.Li Anyan turned her head, looked around the Taiji Palace with a complicated look, then glanced far southeast, and finally drew her sword and joined the battle group besieging Feng Shijin.
After about a cup of tea, Feng Shijin and several of his cronies were chopped down in a pool of blood.
Li Anyan cut off Feng Shijin's head with a single knife, strode to the edge of the battlements, raised his head high, and said sharply: "Everyone below should keep their eyes open, this is your prince Zuo Weishi! If you don't want to talk to him One end, I will all put down my weapons for Lao Tzu!"
The Donggong soldiers below the tower were already at a disadvantage, but now that the leader was dead, they had no fighting spirit, so they surrendered one after another.
Li Anyan ordered his assistants to detain the prisoners and clean the battlefield, and then said that he would enter the palace to report to the Holy One, and walked down the tower alone.
In the chaos, no one noticed that after Li Anyan got off the tower, he didn't walk into the palace, but walked quickly in the opposite direction, and disappeared into the thick night in a blink of an eye.
The direction he left was the Forbidden Garden.
More than half a year ago, Xiao Junmo escaped from Chang'an from this place...
To the southeast of Xuanwumen, which is where Li Anyan looked into the distance just now, is Pingkangfang.
At this moment, Xiao Junmo and Chu Lisang were still sitting on the roof.
"What did you say?" Chu Lisang was puzzled when Xiao Junmo finished part of his plan about Li Anyan, "Your plan is to make Li Anyan disappear?"
"Yes, he must disappear."
"Why?" Chu Lisang became more and more confused, "He took the risk to spy on the prince's overall plan, and only then thwarted the prince's coup plot. Now he is a meritorious minister of the court, why did he disappear?"
"That's right, he has made meritorious service, and it's a great one." Xiao Junmo smiled wryly, "But the problem is, he can't explain all this to the emperor."
"Why can't it be explained?"
"The reason is very simple. Think about it, how is he going to explain to the emperor how he spied on the prince's information? To clarify this point, it is bound to involve me and the king of Wu, right? This will not only involve me and the king of Wu I can't make it clear, and he, Li Anyan, can't make it clear either. First, and second, as a general of the Forbidden Army, if he finds out about the prince's coup plot, should he immediately report it to the emperor? But in fact he didn't report it. How to explain it to the emperor? Could it be that his family was kidnapped by the crown prince, so he dared not report it? How would the emperor accept such a reason? Could it be that the lives of the emperor and so many relatives of the emperor are not as valuable as those of Li Anyan's family? "
Chu Lisang fell silent.
Indeed, Li Anyan couldn't explain so many things clearly.Therefore, whether it is for his own safety or to protect Xiao Junmo and the entire Tianxingmeng, it is the best choice for him to leave Chang'an.
"What about Li Anyan's family? Have you rescued them?" Chu Lisang finally remembered the most important question.
"While we're talking, Xi Yan should have succeeded." Xiao Junmo stood up, "Let's go, go and have a look."
"Where are you going?" Chu Lisang looked confused.
"Li Anyan's family is locked up by Xie Qian, the son of Xie Shaozong." Xiao Junmo pointed to a courtyard not far away, "Here, it's right there."
Chu Lisang couldn't help being surprised, and immediately thought of something, pretending to be displeased: "Oh, I see, you brought me here tonight, but you didn't really come to enjoy the lanterns, did you?"
"You have wronged me." Xiao Junmo smiled, "I just hug grass and beat rabbits, taking care of both public and private interests."
Chu Lisang rolled his eyes at him coquettishly: "You are the best at quibbling!"
When Xiao Junmo led Chu Lisang into the courtyard, he saw seven or eight corpses lying in the courtyard, and one of them was Xie Qian.
Thinking of Xie Shaozong, Xie Qian's father and son, and the entire Xitang Duo being destroyed overnight, Xiao Junmo couldn't help feeling a little sad.However, in the final analysis, this result was chosen by Xie Shaozong himself, and no one can help him redeem it.
Xi Yan greeted him from the room: "Leader, Miss Chu."
"Thank you, Lao Xi." Xiao Junmo patted him on the shoulder, "How are you brothers?"
"Only the two brothers were slightly injured, it's okay."
Xiao Junmo nodded: "Where is General Li's family? Are they all safe?"
"They are all unharmed, they have been sent out through the back door." Xi Yan said, "Old Yuan is looking after them."
"Okay, I'll leave it to you here." Xiao Junmo glanced at Xie Qian's body again, "They are all brothers from the Heavenly Punishment Alliance, so find a place and bury them alive."
"Leader, don't worry, your subordinates will let them die in peace."
Afterwards, Xiao Junmo and Chu Lisang came out from the back door, and saw a carriage parked quietly in the back alley, Yuan Gongwang and a dozen of his subordinates led the horses and stood by.Seeing Xiao Junmo come out, everyone hurried forward to salute.Xiao Junmo waved his hand, walked straight to the carriage, and gently lifted the curtain.
Sitting in the car was Li Anyan's mother, wife, and four underage children, all of them were unkempt, with fear in their eyes.
"Mother, Mrs. Sister-in-law, I'm sorry to have wronged you and the child." Xiao Junmo said softly.
"My lord, thank you for your help." Li's mother said eagerly, "Where is my An Yan?"
"Don't worry, ma'am, General Li is waiting for you outside the city, let's meet him right away."
Half an hour later, Xiao Junmo, Chu Lisang, Yuan Gongwang and others escorted the carriage to Longshouyuan, more than ten miles northeast of Forbidden Garden.Li Anyan has already changed into a commoner clothes and is waiting here alone.
The family survived the catastrophe and were finally reunited. The adults and children couldn't help crying together.Xiao Junmo and Chu Lisang watched silently, their eyes were red.
Li Anyan knew that it was not suitable to stay here for a long time. After comforting his family, he went straight to Xiao Junmo, and suddenly knelt down on one leg and clasped his fists together: "Thank you, lord, for saving the whole family!"
"Please get up quickly!" Xiao Junmo hurriedly helped him up, "The main responsibility for this matter lies with me. It was I who got you involved in this conspiracy and put Lingtang and the others in danger. Now I am just making up for my mistakes. What's the word 'thank you'?"
"Leader, don't say that. Although this operation was arranged by you alone, your subordinates are not only members of the Tianxing League, but also ministers of food and wealth in the Tang Dynasty. When the country is in danger, you should stand up. At all costs It should be borne by the subordinates, how can it be said that it is the responsibility of the leader?"
Chu Lisang heard the words and couldn't help feeling in his heart: This is another righteous man with strong bones, just like Cai Jiande and Meng Huairang back then.
"I know you are loyal and courageous, but no matter what, I arranged for you to leave tonight, which not only ruined your official career, but also charged you with treason and absconding. All of this makes me feel deeply Anxiety and guilt..."
"No, the leader doesn't need to blame himself, I chose this by myself." Li Anyan said, "That day at the Wangchuan Tea House, you explained clearly to your subordinates the consequences of participating in this operation, and let me make my own decision. How did your subordinate answer you?"
Xiao Junmo's thoughts returned to the Wangchuan Tea House a few days ago.
On that day, when Xiao Junmo learned that this year's Shangyuan Festival banquet was held in Taiji Palace instead of Wei Palace, he predicted that the prince might stage a coup d'état at this palace banquet.Therefore, Xiao Junmo immediately thought of a countermeasure plan. The core of the plan was to send people into the East Palace to spy on the Prince's information. Li Anyan, who was responsible for the security of the Palace, was undoubtedly the most likely to gain the Prince's trust and the most suitable candidates for this task.
However, this is an extremely dangerous and irreversible task.
Xiao Junmo knew very well that since the entire countermeasure plan could not be explained clearly to the emperor in the end, the person who carried out this task must not be able to clear himself up in the end, and he would probably be charged with treason and be nailed to the pillar of shame in history forever superior.
When Xiao Junmo thought of this, he almost didn't have the heart to mention this matter to Li Anyan, but considering the overall situation, he finally had to speak up.
That day, Xiao Junmo said this: "Old Li, I want to ask you a question. You can think about it carefully, and you don't have to answer me now."
Li Anyan was a little puzzled: "What does the leader want to ask, please...please tell me clearly."
Xiao Junmo stared at him for a while, then leaned closer, and said in a very soft voice: "If there is a way to thwart the prince's coup plot, but the price is to implicate you, and you may not be able to cleanse yourself in the end. Would you like to bear the infamy of history forever?"
Li Anyan was startled when he heard the words, and hurriedly asked what the plan was.
Xiao Junmo confessed the plan.
Li Anyan was stunned for a while after listening, and finally said: "May I ask the leader, what are the chances of winning this plan?"
"Ninety percent." Xiao Junmo didn't think about it.
Li Anyan pondered for a moment: "If you follow this plan, in the end...can it only be the result you just said?"
Xiao Junmo smiled wryly, nodded his head with difficulty, and said in a short while: "Of course, this is up to you to decide, and I will never force it. If you don't agree, I can fully understand it. After all, this is something that people can't do..."
"No, I am willing." Li Anyan suddenly made up his mind.
"You can think about it again, you don't have to agree now."
"Don't think about it." Li Anyan smiled, "Since the day Grand Master Wei called me to join the Heavenly Punishment League, I have sworn to protect the world. Don't hesitate. Isn't it just a loss of an official and a scapegoat now? It's such a big deal, what's there to worry about?"
Xiao Junmo couldn't help being moved when he heard the words...
At this moment, Xiao Junmo withdrew his thoughts, but still couldn't calm down, so he solemnly clasped his fists and said loudly: "General Li, on behalf of my brothers in this alliance and the people of the world, thank you!"
Li Anyan smiled loudly: "Thank you! Now I have no official and a light body, and I take my family back to Linquan to enjoy the family happiness. This is a beautiful thing, and others can't wish for it! Well, the leader, I will see you off for thousands of miles. If there is a farewell, let’s just leave it at that.”
"It's a long way to go, brother... Take care all the way!" Xiao Junmo said, his voice was a little choked.
"Okay, leader, take care! This subordinate is going to take a step first." Li Anyan cupped his fists at him and Chu Lisang, then suppressed the tears in his eyes, and hurried back to the carriage.
Yuan Gongwang came over: "Leader, is there anything else you want to order?"
"Old Yuan, the safety of General Li's family is entirely up to you." Xiao Junmo said, "When you arrive outside the Great Wall, after you settle down, remember to have someone send me a message."
Xiao Junmo's "Beyond the Great Wall" refers to Yingzhou, which is far away from Chang'an and the Central Plains, where Han people and Khitan people live together.Since Yuan Gongwang had a silk business with the Khitan people and had a stronghold in Yingzhou, Xiao Junmo ordered him to protect Li Anyan's family to go to Yingzhou, find a remote mountain and live in seclusion, and let Yuan Gongwang stay to protect them.That is to say, in the following days, Yuan Gongwang will not be able to play by Xiao Junmo's side.
"Don't worry, leader, as long as I, Yuan Gongwang, are alive, General Li and the others will never make any mistakes!" Yuan Gongwang said with emotion, "But if this subordinate leaves, the leader will have fewer people under his command..."
"You don't have to worry about that," Xiao Junmo smiled, "Lao Xi and the others are here."
After speaking, the two sides expressed their respect to each other, and Yuan Gongwang and others guarded the carriage and left along a small path.
Xiao Junmo and Chu Lisang watched them go away, feeling a little sad in their hearts.
"Retiring to Linquan, living a simple life, and enjoying pure happiness is also what I wish for." Chu Lisang said suddenly.
Xiao Junmo heard the implication, and said with a faint smile: "I promise you, we will be able to live this kind of life soon."
When Chu Lisang heard it, he was very pleased, but he said: "Who said I want to live with you? I'm talking about myself."
"Okay, it doesn't matter if we don't live together. The big deal is that the two of us share a hut with a fence in between. It's okay to be neighbors, right?"
"En." Chu Lisang nodded seriously, "It can be considered."
"But..." Xiao Junmo turned his head and stared at her, "The neighbors have been together for a long time, I'm afraid they will fall in love with each other!"
Chu Lisang smiled, and suddenly said: "If you had never met me, and never been involved in these things, would you still want to leave Chang'an?"
"meeting."
"why?"
"Because I'm not suitable for officialdom, and I don't like it."
"But people can change." Chu Lisang thought thoughtfully, "If you were given enough power to do whatever you want, would you still dislike officialdom?"
"If I hadn't met you, I don't know if I would have changed." Xiao Junmo looked at her with burning eyes, "But now, I can say with confidence that I will not change. Because I already know that I will never change in my life. What is it?"
Chu Lisang also looked up at him, and suddenly remembered his life experience, and couldn't help saying in his heart: If one day, someone wants to push you to the position of supreme emperor and let you own the whole world, will you still refuse?Can you still say what you want with certainty like you are now?
Of course, she dared not say this.
But Chu Lisang didn't know that what Xiao Junmo was saying in his heart at this moment was: All men in the world long to own the world and become rich all over the world, but do you know that what I really want, Sang Er, is actually just three or two thatched huts, seven or eight Mu Susukida, and you who never leave each other—this is my whole world!
A gust of wind blew, shaking their clothes, and also rolled up the sporadic snow on the ground.
Longshouyuan has a towering terrain, and you can have a panoramic view of the whole Chang'an from here.At this moment, Chang'an City under the moonlight is still a bright and prosperous scene, as if those terrible plots and killings tonight never happened.
On this Shangyuan Festival in the 17th year of Zhenguan, Li Shimin experienced the most dangerous, chaotic, and thrilling night since he ascended the throne.
After Li Chengqian fainted in the Baifu Hall, Li Yuanchang, Du He and a group of East Palace soldiers had no leader, so they had to kneel down and surrender.Li Shimin ordered Li Ke and the other wounded to be sent to the imperial medical office. At the same time, he ordered Yuchi Jingde to lead the forbidden army to search for the remaining party of the prince in the palace. Zhao Dequan dealt with all kinds of aftermath matters... Li Shimin couldn't care less about rest after tossing around like this for a whole night, so he hurriedly summoned his eldest grandson Wuji, Liu Ji, Cen Wenwen, and Li Shiji to the palace for an audience.
The morning sun is just emerging, and the sun is shining lightly on the Taiji Palace with double eaves and complex buildings.
Li Shimin sat on the imperial couch in the Liangyi Hall, his face was pale, and his eyes were bloodshot.
Zhao Dequan stood aside, while Changsun Wuji, Liu Ji, Cen Wenwen, and Li Shiji knelt below, not daring to show their air.
After a long time, Li Shimin's gloomy, worried and indignant voice sounded in the empty hall: "A few days ago, the king of Qi was executed just now, and my heart felt like a knife; now the crown prince rebelled openly, and put the knife on my neck! I don't know. You civil and military ministers, how do you feel at this moment?"
None of the four dared to answer.But Changsun Wuji, as the chief prime minister, couldn't justify keeping silent, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say: "Return to your majesty, the prince suddenly launched a attack, and the ministers were also deeply shocked. Fortunately, God bless me, the prince did not succeed in the end, and your majesty was also a dragon." I'm fine, it's just a false alarm..."
"False alarm?" Li Shimin interrupted him coldly, "You said it lightly! If the prince had been more ruthless last night, and the sword would have been pushed forward by two inches, I'm afraid that sitting on the imperial couch talking to you right now, I'm afraid that you'll be the one who's the only one who can't speak." It's not me, but the prince!"
"Yes, it is the crime of the ministers who failed to detect the prince's conspiracy in advance and put His Majesty in a dangerous situation. The ministers cannot escape the blame and the crime is unforgivable!" Changsun Wuji hurriedly said, "Fortunately, the prince's humanity has not yet been revealed." It's a blessing among misfortunes that it didn't lead to a catastrophe if it was obliterated and the conscience was not lost!"
Li Shimin was thinking about something, and suddenly his expression darkened: "As the prime minister, you are of course negligent in your duties, but having said that, as a father, I also have an unshirkable responsibility for teaching such a son."
Hearing that the emperor blamed himself, everyone was even more afraid to speak up, so they fell silent for a while.
After a while, Li Shimin sighed, calmed everyone down, and asked, "Where is Hou Junji now?"
"Return to Your Majesty," Li Shiji said, "I have imprisoned him in Xuanjiawei, awaiting His Majesty's decision."
Li Shimin smiled wryly: "I just rated him as one of the 24 heroes in the founding of the country. The portrait Yan Liben painted for him has not yet been hung in the Lingyan Pavilion. Fortunately, he suddenly turned himself into a prisoner."
As soon as Hou Junji was mentioned, Liu Ji felt regretful in his heart.
I have been cautious all my life, and I have never thought that after drinking a few more glasses last night, I revealed the list of heroes who have not yet been made public to Hou Junji. It will not be guaranteed.
"Your Majesty, an ungrateful and ambitious villain like Hou Junji has already lost his qualifications as a hero." Changsun Wuji said angrily, "I suggest that he be removed from the list of heroes, and his portrait cannot be included in Lingyan Pavilion .”
He almost became Hou Junji's hostage last night, and Changsun Wuji is still terrified of his embarrassment to this day, so he has a bitter heart.
When Liu Ji heard this, his heart trembled suddenly.
Neither Changsun Wuji nor the emperor knew that Hou Junji had already learned about the list of heroes from him, so they thought it was all right to remove him, but the problem was that Hou Junji already knew, if he really If you brush it off, Hou Junji will definitely not be angry. When the time comes, in order to fight for this posthumous name, he will definitely involve himself in it, and then everything will be over!
Thinking about this, Liu Ji didn't dare to keep silent anymore, and hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, I think the words of the eldest grandson are inappropriate."
Liu Ji has always been Changsun Wuji's deputy, and has always obeyed his advice, but at this moment he openly contradicted him. Changsun Wuji was very surprised and couldn't help turning his head to look at him.
Liu Jie lowered his head and stared at the ground, pretending not to see it.
"What's wrong?" Li Shimin said lightly.
"I believe that Hou Junji once made great contributions to the founding of the Tang Dynasty. A few years ago, he led an expedition to destroy Tuyuhun and Gaochang. It can be said that he has made outstanding contributions! Although he participated in the prince's rebellion and committed a heinous crime, but Merit is merit, and demerits are demerits, and his past achievements cannot be erased just because of his current crimes."
"Liu Shizhong," Changsun Wuji said displeased, "according to what you said, we still have to enshrine such rebellious officials and thieves in Lingyan Pavilion? What's the proper way? Do you want future generations to laugh at him or the joker?" ?”
"Eldest Sun Xianggong, the Holy Majesty has always distinguished rewards and punishments. How to deal with Hou Junji's crimes is the Holy Majesty's own decision. Letting Hou Junji go to Lingyan Pavilion is a reward for his past achievements. How can the two be confused?"
Changsun Wuji couldn't figure out how Liu Ji would contradict him for a dying person, and was waiting to argue again, when he heard Cen Wenwen say: "My grandson, I also think what Liu Shizhong said is not unreasonable. The emperor has history, right and wrong. Later generations have their own judgments, so how can they ignore Hou Junji's early achievements because he was not guaranteed at the end of the festival? If there is such a descendant, it can only show that he has no knowledge. I believe that a truly knowledgeable person must I will appreciate the Holy Majesty's way of dividing merits into demerits."
Long before Cen Wenwen joined the Tang Dynasty, he and Liu Ji worked together in the Southern Liang Dynasty, and the two had a close relationship, so of course he wanted to speak for him at this moment.Changsun Wuji found that he could not do anything alone, so he turned his face to the emperor, hoping that he would support him.
Li Shimin pondered for a long time before slowly saying: "What Liu Jihe said in the text is reasonable, and merit and crime should not be confused. Let's do as originally planned. After Yan Liben finishes painting the portraits of the 24 heroes, he will hang them on the Ling Yan Pavilion, this matter is settled like this."
Changsun Wuji was disappointed.
Liu Ji secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Dequan," Li Shimin changed the subject, "I heard that something happened to Wei Wang's residence last night?"
"Yes, everyone. Wei Wangfu was attacked by a group of unknown gangsters. Fortunately, the guards in the mansion were alert and killed the gangsters. His Royal Highness Wei Wang was also safe and sound."
"Unidentified gangster?" Li Shimin was a little suspicious, "Did you catch him alive?"
"According to what I know, the guards of the Wei Palace seem to have adopted the technique of attacking with fire, and those gangsters have been burned to black charcoal..."
Li Shimin frowned and thought for a while: "Shiji."
"The minister is here."
"I leave this matter to you. Check it out and find out who these so-called 'gangsters' are."
"The minister obeys the order."
"By the way..." Li Shimin looked at Li Shiji, "I'm a little puzzled, how did you find out that Hou Junji led people to infiltrate Shangshu Province last night?"
"Returning to Your Majesty, last night the minister and his subordinates happened to have a banquet at the government office of Benwei, and Benwei is just across the street from Shang Shuxing, so we accidentally discovered those lurking people."
"Didn't you Xuanjiawei always make a big holiday in the past years? Why do you want to have a banquet this year? And it's such a coincidence that you just ran into Hou Junji?" Li Shimin stared at him suspiciously, "Did you listen to it beforehand?" What's the noise?"
"Your Majesty, there is absolutely no such thing!" Li Shiji was startled, "This is really a coincidence. I think that in the past year, Benwei has handled many cases, and his subordinates have worked very hard, so I want to reward them all." It's just to boost morale."
Li Shimin thought for a while, didn't say anything, and turned his face to Zhao Dequan: "Last night, when Chengqian was in a critical situation, Chengqian suddenly passed out, what was the reason, and what did the imperial physician say later?"
"Back to everyone, the imperial doctor said that His Royal Highness's symptoms at that time were cold limbs, heavy breathing, thin white tongue coating, and sinking pulse. This kind of syncope should be caused by excessive tension and mental stimulation."
Li Shimin sighed deeply, and immediately raised his eyes to look around the crowd: "There were many strange things about the incident last night, and the most terrifying thing was that hundreds of guards in the Eastern Palace were all put on the armor of the imperial army, and the one I trust the most Li Anyan, the general of Zuo Tun Wei Zhonglang, has disappeared again! Shiji, have you searched Li Anyan's house in Zhaoguofang carefully?"
"Returning to Your Majesty, I took people to search the palace just before I entered the palace, but his house was already empty. Not only Li Anyan disappeared, but also his mother, wife and children. I asked his neighbors and learned that Li Anyan's family He was picked up a few days ago, and all the servants in the family were dismissed that day, and they all disappeared."
Li Shimin sneered: "That's obvious. This guy has long been involved in the prince's treason plan, but he was worried about failure, so he transferred his family in advance."
"Your Majesty's words are true." Li Shiji said, "It's just that Li Anyan may have regretted it later, so he cut off Feng Shijin's head with his own hands, and arrested the Donggong soldiers who were ambushing at Xuanwu Gate."
"Yeah, maybe in the end, he found out with his conscience."
"Your Majesty," Changsun Wuji said, "Although Li Anyan showed remorse in the end, he committed a heinous crime. Now he is absconding in fear of crime, which is purely flouting the laws of the country. I suggest that you issue a sea arrest document immediately and order all states and counties in the world to do their best. wanted!"
Li Shimin was silent for a while, and said: "You can handle this matter, but you have to tell the people below that if you find Li Anyan, you can only arrest him, and don't implicate your family."
Changsun Wuji was surprised: "But Your Majesty, this Li Anyan committed a serious crime of treason. According to the laws of my Tang Dynasty, if one person commits rebellion, all family members must sit together!"
"The law is nothing more than human feelings. Since he showed repentance at the last moment, the crime should be reduced as appropriate."
"Yes, I obey the order."
After Li Shimin finished speaking, he was thinking about something, and suddenly smiled wryly, with a somewhat helpless and sentimental expression: "Speaking of sin, what do you think is the most responsible for what happened last night?"
Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, not daring to answer easily.
"The person who is most responsible for the crime is me!"
Everyone was shocked at the same time.Changsun Wuji hurriedly said, "Why did Your Majesty say that?"
Li Shimin laughed at himself: "Didn't the ancients say it a long time ago - I am guilty, and there is nothing to do; all parties are guilty, and I am guilty!"
No one dared to speak out, and the hall was completely silent.
After a long time, Li Shimin waved his hands feebly: "I'm tired, you all step back."
Everyone immediately bowed and left.
When he reached the gate of the hall, Changsun Wuji glanced back secretly, and saw that the emperor was still sitting on the couch motionless.
After assisting the emperor for so many years, it was the first time for him to see such a haggard and tired look on the emperor's face, as if he had aged a lot overnight.
(End of this chapter)
In the chaos, no one noticed that after Li Anyan got off the tower, he didn't walk into the palace, but walked quickly in the opposite direction, and disappeared into the thick night in a blink of an eye.
"...This is the arrangement I made in Baifudian and Shangshusheng."
On the roof of a tall building in Pingkangfang, Xiao Junmo confided most of his defense plans to Chu Lisang.Finally, he glanced at Tai Chi Palace from afar, and said: "If I'm not wrong, the power of the medicine on the Prince's body should take effect at this moment."
"The effect of the medicine?" Chu Lisang didn't hear him talking about it just now, and suddenly felt surprised, "Did you ask someone to give the prince medicine?"
Xiao Junmo nodded.
"Shouldn't you want his life?"
"Of course, it's just a little sweat medicine in the wine."
"Who did you arrange to do it? King Wu?" Chu Lisang was very curious.
"There are so many people at the palace banquet, and there are eyes staring everywhere, how could the King of Wu have the chance to do something?" Xiao Junmo said, "In fact, I didn't even tell him about arranging for the medicine to be administered."
Chu Lisang was surprised: "Why didn't you tell him?"
"If he knew everything in advance, his reaction would be untrue, and it would inevitably show signs of deceit." Xiao Junmo smiled, "What a shrewd person is the emperor, how can he not see the flaws? So, I deliberately concealed a part of it." , I just want the King of Wu to adapt to the situation and play on the spot, so as to win the trust of the emperor."
Chu Lisang thought for a while and felt that it made sense, so he followed up the question just now and asked: "Then who did you arrange for the prince to be drugged?"
"Well, don't ask for now." Xiao Junmo smiled mysteriously, "I will tell you when it's time for you to know."
Chu Lisang thought that there were still many parts about the coup that were not clear, so there was no need to dwell on this trivial matter, so he asked again: "Then, have you made arrangements for the Wei Palace?"
"Of course." Xiao Junmo said, "I sent an anonymous letter to King Wei, telling him that tonight there will be a force that should not be underestimated to attack King Wei's residence at night."
"Is this Jianghu force you're talking about a member of our Heavenly Punishment Alliance?"
Xiao Junmo nodded: "Xie An's descendant, Xie Shaozong of Xi Tang Duo."
Chu Lisang suddenly remembered something: "I remember you said that King Wei is the murderer who murdered your adoptive father. You will seek revenge on him sooner or later, but why do you want to save him this time?"
"I can't just let him die like this, it's too cheap for him." Xiao Junmo said coldly, "I will make him pay a higher price than death."
"What is a greater price than death?" Chu Lisang was puzzled.
A cold light flashed in Xiao Junmo's eyes: "Defeat, betrayal, stay away from court, exile in frontiers, and taste the bitter fruit of failure for the rest of his life. All of these are the real punishment for a person like King Wei, and it is his deserved retribution."
Seeing the cold light flashing in his eyes, Chu Lisang couldn't help feeling a hint of worry in his heart.
My mother used to tell her that people are easily changed by the environment, and people tend to change their appearance after staying in a certain place for a long time. That's why the ancients said, "If you stay close to vermilion, you will be red; if you are close to ink, you will be black."Now, Xiao Junmo is in such a vortex of power struggle, and what he faces every day is intrigues, schemes and murders. Will he become a ruthless person chasing power over time?
Xie Shaozong set off eight bundles of five-color fireworks on the side street outside the south gate of Wei Wangfu.
For Chang'an, where "fire trees and silver flowers are never in the night", these fireworks will not attract anyone's attention at all, but for the members of Xitang Duo who are ambushing around the Wei Palace, this signal is undoubtedly very eye-catching.
After sending out the signal, Xie Shaozong led more than a hundred capable men to directly enter the Wei Palace from the south gate.
Things went well at first, because the guards of the Wei Palace had never expected to be raided on such a festive and peaceful night.Xie Shaozong went all the way like a broken bamboo, and soon reached the main hall of Wei Wangfu.He believed that since the intrusion from the front did not encounter any decent resistance, the subordinates who rushed in from the north, west, and east would not encounter much trouble.So he concluded that the bloodbath of King Wei's mansion had been mostly successful so far, and the only thing left was to find King Wei and behead him.
The main hall door was closed tightly and the lights were dim, making it impossible to see what was going on inside.
When Xie Shaozong led the crowd into the courtyard in front of the hall, he suddenly felt that the ground was extremely slippery, and there was a creaking sound when he stepped on it.Because they rushed too fast, by the time they realized it, more than half of their subordinates had slipped and fell to the ground one after another.
Xie Shaozong suddenly felt bad.
While being suspicious, those subordinates who slipped and fell behind got up one after another. Xie Shaozong turned his head and turned pale with shock.
Their legs, bodies, and hands were all stained with a dark, viscous, unknown fluid.
Stone water!
Xie Shaozong suddenly realized that this is stone fat water, also called stone paint, which is an extremely flammable liquid. Once people touch it, just add a spark to ignite it, and it will be swallowed by the flames immediately!
"Quick retreat!" Xie Shaozong burst into a heart-piercing shout.
However, it was too late.
Before the words were finished, countless rockets were fired from all directions.In an instant, the courtyard in front of the main hall turned into a sea of flames, and most of Xie Shaozong's subordinates naturally also fell into the hellish flames.
Only Xie Shaozong and a few confidants around him reacted quickly, and they ran quickly to the steps at the entrance of the main hall before the rockets fell.Several people turned around in shock, only to see more than a hundred brothers running wildly in the sea of flames, their screams resounding through the night sky.A small number of men who were not burned tried to escape, but were hacked and killed one by one by a group of men in black who suddenly came out from the surrounding darkness.
Xie Shaozong looked at this tragic scene in horror and realized that he had been betrayed!
Obviously, the raid plan had been leaked in advance, and at this time the other three subordinates must have also been ambushed.It is conceivable that the actions of the crown prince and Hou Junji may have failed.
"Xitang, don't come here without any harm!"
Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind.Xie Shaozong was startled and turned around abruptly, only to see a man wearing a bronze mask coming out of the main hall surrounded by a group of men in black.
"Mingzang?!" Xie Shaozong said two words from his hoarse throat.
Wang Hongyi stood still, took off his mask, and smiled triumphantly: "Xitang, Jiangling has been apart for more than 20 years, right? I really didn't expect that we would meet under such circumstances."
Back then, Zhiyong took six or seven sub-rudders to Jiangling to assist Xiao Xian, and Mingzang and Xitang were two of them.Although Xie Shaozong left first, he worked with Wang Hongyi for a short time.
Xie Shaozong smiled wryly: "Wang Hongyi, you and I are both members of the Heavenly Punishment League, but you are able to deal with such a ruthless hand!"
Wang Hongyi chuckled: "It's all up to each other! If I were to attack the East Palace at night today, you would definitely welcome me in the same way, right?"
"Since last year's Li Feng case, King Wei has been abolished. Wang Hongyi, what good results can you expect from assisting him?" Instead, he relaxed.
"Yeah, you're right. Originally, the King of Wei really had no hope, but you and the prince have done this tonight, it's like doing the King of Wei a big favor, and it's also like doing me a favor. Speaking of it , I have to thank you and the prince!"
Xie Shaozong snorted coldly: "Even if the crown prince falls, do you think that King Wei will be able to enter the East Palace? Don't forget, the celebrity next to Li Shimin is not King Wei, but King Wu."
Hearing this, Wang Hongyi couldn't help being silent for a moment, and then smiled: "Xie Shaozong, we haven't seen each other for so many years, so let's stop talking about these boring court disputes, let's catch up on the old days."
"What do you want to say?" Xie Shaozong said coldly.
"I want to say, actually you Xie Shaozong's ambition, I saw it when I was in Jiangling. You just want to be like your ancestor Xie An, to become a prime minister who governs the country and is famous in history. Am I right? But you left During those years in Jiangling, you started a business with all your heart and bought a lot of copper mines in various places in the world. This behavior confused me for a while, making me think that you were tired of power struggles and planned to retire from the world. But until I just discovered today that in fact, you have been keeping a low profile for so many years, with the goal of making a comeback one day! Now it seems that I underestimated you. Back then, Xie An didn’t become an official until he was in his 40s. You have learned the allusion of "Resurrection", and now you, Xie Shaozong, can be said to have learned it perfectly! It's a pity that your heart is higher than the sky, but your life is thinner than paper. You have no ambitions, but you followed the wrong master, and you ended up where you are today. Bu Tiandi, I really feel sorry for you!"
"Wang Hongyi, you don't have to rush to laugh at me." Xie Shaozong still sneered, "I don't deny that I, Xie Shaozong, really want to track down our ancestors and make a great achievement. If this is the ambition you mentioned, then what about you, Wang Hongyi? Not only do you want to usurp the power of the Sky Punishment League by all means, but you also want to use the organization to help you regain the glory of "the king and the horse share the world". But in my opinion, you are purely dreaming! Based on what you have done , I can guarantee that not only will you get nothing in the end, but the brothers in this alliance will join forces against you. So, how do you know that my today is not your tomorrow? I even dare to assert that your final end will be Worse than me!"
After hearing this, Wang Hongyi was not only not angry, but laughed loudly: "Xie Shaozong, I understand your current mood very well. It is indeed difficult for such a proud and arrogant person like you to accept such a tragic failure! So, if you want to scold, you can Scold, I don't have the same knowledge as you. But I still want to remind you that your time is running out, if you have any last words to explain, just say it quickly. Seeing that you and I are allies, I will help you You pass on your last words to your descendants—if you have not been exterminated by the court, and there are still descendants alive."
"No need." Xie Shaozong raised the horizontal knife with a determined face, "You should think about your last words, you will need them soon."
Wang Hongyi sneered silently and waved his hand lightly.
Wei Laoliu behind him immediately rushed forward with a dozen of his men.At this moment, on Xie Shaozong's side, including him, there were only four people left, obviously outnumbered.But at this moment, they had no choice but to fight to the death.
There is no suspense in this fight.After the two sides fought for about a stick of incense, three of Xie Shaozong's subordinates were killed one after another, and he himself was injured in many places.Of course, Wei Lao Liu also paid the price of six or seven casualties.
During this period, Wang Hongyi has been quietly watching the battle with his hands behind his back.In the end, just when Xie Shaozong was exhausted and about to die under Wei Laoliu's sword, Wang Hongyi stopped suddenly, then walked up to Xie Shaozong, and said seriously, "Brother, no matter how you say it, you are considered a hero of the Heavenly Punishment League. Others are not qualified to kill you. Your head should be taken by me."
Xie Shaozong was dripping with blood all over his body.He tried his best to press the knife on the ground, so that he could not fall down.
"That's not bad." Xie Shaozong smiled miserably, "Then do I have to thank you for your kindness?"
"You're welcome." Wang Hongyi slowly drew out his saber, "It's easy."
Xie Shaozong looked directly into Wang Hongyi's eyes with a smile on his face.
The knife flashed, and Xie Shaozong's head flew out, but his body still maintained its original posture, and it took a while for him to collapse.
When Xie Shaozong's group was engulfed by hellish flames, the other three groups were also killed by Wang Hongyi's men who had ambushed in advance.On the way in from the north gate of Wei Wangfu, two of them were so brave that they went straight to the Buddhist hall where Li Tai was.
At that time, Li Tai and Su Jinse were concentrating on chanting sutras, when the two killers broke into the door suddenly, scaring Su Jinse into screaming.Li Tai didn't change his face, and quickly pulled out a delicate short knife hidden in advance from under the incense table, and turned to fight back, but within a few rounds, the two were ended.
Su Jinse looked at him in surprise: "You also hid weapons in the Buddhist hall?"
Li Tai smiled and said nothing, took the blood-stained knife and wiped the two corpses a few times, and then said softly: "Amitabha."
On this bloody night, Prince Li Chengqian's coup d'état had four battlefields. In addition to Baifu Palace, Shangshusheng, and Wei Wangfu, there was another one, which was Xuanwu Gate.
When the dust settled on the other three battlefields, Li Anyan and Feng Shijin were still standing side by side on the majestic tower of Xuanwumen, waiting for the signal from the plan.
According to the original plan, once the prince succeeds in Baifu Hall, three bunches of fireworks, one red, one green and one yellow, will be set off.
However, since Feng Shijin led his troops to sneak into Xuanwu Gate this afternoon until now, he has seen countless fireworks rising and falling from far and near, but he has never seen the agreed signal.
As time passed bit by bit, Feng Shijin became more and more restless, and finally had no choice but to say to Li Anyan: "General Li, the situation doesn't seem to be right, I have to take someone over to have a look."
The agreed signal did not appear, which was completely expected by Li Anyan.At this moment, he can almost conclude that the prince's actions have been thwarted.Therefore, according to the plan he and Xiao Junmo agreed in advance, the next thing to do is to clean up Master Feng and enter.
"Alright, General Feng, don't worry, I'll leave this place to me." Li Anyan said calmly.
Feng Shijin clasped his fists at him, then took a few cronies and turned around to leave.
At this time, more than a hundred of Feng Shijin's subordinates were waiting under the tower, while the dozens of imperial guards on the tower were all Li Anyan's men.Li Anyan gave his subordinates a wink, and dozens of forbidden soldiers immediately drew their knives out of their sheaths, and surrounded Feng Shijin and others.Immediately afterwards, Li Anyan uttered another loud whistle, and then hundreds of forbidden troops rushed out from all directions, quickly surrounding the Donggong soldiers under the tower.
Feng Shijin turned pale with shock, turned his head and glared: "Li Anyan, what do you want to do?!"
"Feng Shijin, the crown prince is finished, you surrender." Li Anyan said indifferently, "Now you have only this way to go."
Feng Shijin was taken aback for a moment, and he realized it after a while, he couldn't help being furious: "Li Anyan, how dare you betray the prince!"
"You are wrong." Li Anyan interrupted him, "I have never taken refuge in the crown prince."
It was only at this point that Feng Shijin finally came to his senses, and immediately drew his knife, roaring angrily to rush over.However, he had no chance to fight Li Anyan, because the dozens of guards next to him were not for display.In a blink of an eye, the upper and lower towers were in a state of melee.Li Anyan turned her head, looked around the Taiji Palace with a complicated look, then glanced far southeast, and finally drew her sword and joined the battle group besieging Feng Shijin.
After about a cup of tea, Feng Shijin and several of his cronies were chopped down in a pool of blood.
Li Anyan cut off Feng Shijin's head with a single knife, strode to the edge of the battlements, raised his head high, and said sharply: "Everyone below should keep their eyes open, this is your prince Zuo Weishi! If you don't want to talk to him One end, I will all put down my weapons for Lao Tzu!"
The Donggong soldiers below the tower were already at a disadvantage, but now that the leader was dead, they had no fighting spirit, so they surrendered one after another.
Li Anyan ordered his assistants to detain the prisoners and clean the battlefield, and then said that he would enter the palace to report to the Holy One, and walked down the tower alone.
In the chaos, no one noticed that after Li Anyan got off the tower, he didn't walk into the palace, but walked quickly in the opposite direction, and disappeared into the thick night in a blink of an eye.
The direction he left was the Forbidden Garden.
More than half a year ago, Xiao Junmo escaped from Chang'an from this place...
To the southeast of Xuanwumen, which is where Li Anyan looked into the distance just now, is Pingkangfang.
At this moment, Xiao Junmo and Chu Lisang were still sitting on the roof.
"What did you say?" Chu Lisang was puzzled when Xiao Junmo finished part of his plan about Li Anyan, "Your plan is to make Li Anyan disappear?"
"Yes, he must disappear."
"Why?" Chu Lisang became more and more confused, "He took the risk to spy on the prince's overall plan, and only then thwarted the prince's coup plot. Now he is a meritorious minister of the court, why did he disappear?"
"That's right, he has made meritorious service, and it's a great one." Xiao Junmo smiled wryly, "But the problem is, he can't explain all this to the emperor."
"Why can't it be explained?"
"The reason is very simple. Think about it, how is he going to explain to the emperor how he spied on the prince's information? To clarify this point, it is bound to involve me and the king of Wu, right? This will not only involve me and the king of Wu I can't make it clear, and he, Li Anyan, can't make it clear either. First, and second, as a general of the Forbidden Army, if he finds out about the prince's coup plot, should he immediately report it to the emperor? But in fact he didn't report it. How to explain it to the emperor? Could it be that his family was kidnapped by the crown prince, so he dared not report it? How would the emperor accept such a reason? Could it be that the lives of the emperor and so many relatives of the emperor are not as valuable as those of Li Anyan's family? "
Chu Lisang fell silent.
Indeed, Li Anyan couldn't explain so many things clearly.Therefore, whether it is for his own safety or to protect Xiao Junmo and the entire Tianxingmeng, it is the best choice for him to leave Chang'an.
"What about Li Anyan's family? Have you rescued them?" Chu Lisang finally remembered the most important question.
"While we're talking, Xi Yan should have succeeded." Xiao Junmo stood up, "Let's go, go and have a look."
"Where are you going?" Chu Lisang looked confused.
"Li Anyan's family is locked up by Xie Qian, the son of Xie Shaozong." Xiao Junmo pointed to a courtyard not far away, "Here, it's right there."
Chu Lisang couldn't help being surprised, and immediately thought of something, pretending to be displeased: "Oh, I see, you brought me here tonight, but you didn't really come to enjoy the lanterns, did you?"
"You have wronged me." Xiao Junmo smiled, "I just hug grass and beat rabbits, taking care of both public and private interests."
Chu Lisang rolled his eyes at him coquettishly: "You are the best at quibbling!"
When Xiao Junmo led Chu Lisang into the courtyard, he saw seven or eight corpses lying in the courtyard, and one of them was Xie Qian.
Thinking of Xie Shaozong, Xie Qian's father and son, and the entire Xitang Duo being destroyed overnight, Xiao Junmo couldn't help feeling a little sad.However, in the final analysis, this result was chosen by Xie Shaozong himself, and no one can help him redeem it.
Xi Yan greeted him from the room: "Leader, Miss Chu."
"Thank you, Lao Xi." Xiao Junmo patted him on the shoulder, "How are you brothers?"
"Only the two brothers were slightly injured, it's okay."
Xiao Junmo nodded: "Where is General Li's family? Are they all safe?"
"They are all unharmed, they have been sent out through the back door." Xi Yan said, "Old Yuan is looking after them."
"Okay, I'll leave it to you here." Xiao Junmo glanced at Xie Qian's body again, "They are all brothers from the Heavenly Punishment Alliance, so find a place and bury them alive."
"Leader, don't worry, your subordinates will let them die in peace."
Afterwards, Xiao Junmo and Chu Lisang came out from the back door, and saw a carriage parked quietly in the back alley, Yuan Gongwang and a dozen of his subordinates led the horses and stood by.Seeing Xiao Junmo come out, everyone hurried forward to salute.Xiao Junmo waved his hand, walked straight to the carriage, and gently lifted the curtain.
Sitting in the car was Li Anyan's mother, wife, and four underage children, all of them were unkempt, with fear in their eyes.
"Mother, Mrs. Sister-in-law, I'm sorry to have wronged you and the child." Xiao Junmo said softly.
"My lord, thank you for your help." Li's mother said eagerly, "Where is my An Yan?"
"Don't worry, ma'am, General Li is waiting for you outside the city, let's meet him right away."
Half an hour later, Xiao Junmo, Chu Lisang, Yuan Gongwang and others escorted the carriage to Longshouyuan, more than ten miles northeast of Forbidden Garden.Li Anyan has already changed into a commoner clothes and is waiting here alone.
The family survived the catastrophe and were finally reunited. The adults and children couldn't help crying together.Xiao Junmo and Chu Lisang watched silently, their eyes were red.
Li Anyan knew that it was not suitable to stay here for a long time. After comforting his family, he went straight to Xiao Junmo, and suddenly knelt down on one leg and clasped his fists together: "Thank you, lord, for saving the whole family!"
"Please get up quickly!" Xiao Junmo hurriedly helped him up, "The main responsibility for this matter lies with me. It was I who got you involved in this conspiracy and put Lingtang and the others in danger. Now I am just making up for my mistakes. What's the word 'thank you'?"
"Leader, don't say that. Although this operation was arranged by you alone, your subordinates are not only members of the Tianxing League, but also ministers of food and wealth in the Tang Dynasty. When the country is in danger, you should stand up. At all costs It should be borne by the subordinates, how can it be said that it is the responsibility of the leader?"
Chu Lisang heard the words and couldn't help feeling in his heart: This is another righteous man with strong bones, just like Cai Jiande and Meng Huairang back then.
"I know you are loyal and courageous, but no matter what, I arranged for you to leave tonight, which not only ruined your official career, but also charged you with treason and absconding. All of this makes me feel deeply Anxiety and guilt..."
"No, the leader doesn't need to blame himself, I chose this by myself." Li Anyan said, "That day at the Wangchuan Tea House, you explained clearly to your subordinates the consequences of participating in this operation, and let me make my own decision. How did your subordinate answer you?"
Xiao Junmo's thoughts returned to the Wangchuan Tea House a few days ago.
On that day, when Xiao Junmo learned that this year's Shangyuan Festival banquet was held in Taiji Palace instead of Wei Palace, he predicted that the prince might stage a coup d'état at this palace banquet.Therefore, Xiao Junmo immediately thought of a countermeasure plan. The core of the plan was to send people into the East Palace to spy on the Prince's information. Li Anyan, who was responsible for the security of the Palace, was undoubtedly the most likely to gain the Prince's trust and the most suitable candidates for this task.
However, this is an extremely dangerous and irreversible task.
Xiao Junmo knew very well that since the entire countermeasure plan could not be explained clearly to the emperor in the end, the person who carried out this task must not be able to clear himself up in the end, and he would probably be charged with treason and be nailed to the pillar of shame in history forever superior.
When Xiao Junmo thought of this, he almost didn't have the heart to mention this matter to Li Anyan, but considering the overall situation, he finally had to speak up.
That day, Xiao Junmo said this: "Old Li, I want to ask you a question. You can think about it carefully, and you don't have to answer me now."
Li Anyan was a little puzzled: "What does the leader want to ask, please...please tell me clearly."
Xiao Junmo stared at him for a while, then leaned closer, and said in a very soft voice: "If there is a way to thwart the prince's coup plot, but the price is to implicate you, and you may not be able to cleanse yourself in the end. Would you like to bear the infamy of history forever?"
Li Anyan was startled when he heard the words, and hurriedly asked what the plan was.
Xiao Junmo confessed the plan.
Li Anyan was stunned for a while after listening, and finally said: "May I ask the leader, what are the chances of winning this plan?"
"Ninety percent." Xiao Junmo didn't think about it.
Li Anyan pondered for a moment: "If you follow this plan, in the end...can it only be the result you just said?"
Xiao Junmo smiled wryly, nodded his head with difficulty, and said in a short while: "Of course, this is up to you to decide, and I will never force it. If you don't agree, I can fully understand it. After all, this is something that people can't do..."
"No, I am willing." Li Anyan suddenly made up his mind.
"You can think about it again, you don't have to agree now."
"Don't think about it." Li Anyan smiled, "Since the day Grand Master Wei called me to join the Heavenly Punishment League, I have sworn to protect the world. Don't hesitate. Isn't it just a loss of an official and a scapegoat now? It's such a big deal, what's there to worry about?"
Xiao Junmo couldn't help being moved when he heard the words...
At this moment, Xiao Junmo withdrew his thoughts, but still couldn't calm down, so he solemnly clasped his fists and said loudly: "General Li, on behalf of my brothers in this alliance and the people of the world, thank you!"
Li Anyan smiled loudly: "Thank you! Now I have no official and a light body, and I take my family back to Linquan to enjoy the family happiness. This is a beautiful thing, and others can't wish for it! Well, the leader, I will see you off for thousands of miles. If there is a farewell, let’s just leave it at that.”
"It's a long way to go, brother... Take care all the way!" Xiao Junmo said, his voice was a little choked.
"Okay, leader, take care! This subordinate is going to take a step first." Li Anyan cupped his fists at him and Chu Lisang, then suppressed the tears in his eyes, and hurried back to the carriage.
Yuan Gongwang came over: "Leader, is there anything else you want to order?"
"Old Yuan, the safety of General Li's family is entirely up to you." Xiao Junmo said, "When you arrive outside the Great Wall, after you settle down, remember to have someone send me a message."
Xiao Junmo's "Beyond the Great Wall" refers to Yingzhou, which is far away from Chang'an and the Central Plains, where Han people and Khitan people live together.Since Yuan Gongwang had a silk business with the Khitan people and had a stronghold in Yingzhou, Xiao Junmo ordered him to protect Li Anyan's family to go to Yingzhou, find a remote mountain and live in seclusion, and let Yuan Gongwang stay to protect them.That is to say, in the following days, Yuan Gongwang will not be able to play by Xiao Junmo's side.
"Don't worry, leader, as long as I, Yuan Gongwang, are alive, General Li and the others will never make any mistakes!" Yuan Gongwang said with emotion, "But if this subordinate leaves, the leader will have fewer people under his command..."
"You don't have to worry about that," Xiao Junmo smiled, "Lao Xi and the others are here."
After speaking, the two sides expressed their respect to each other, and Yuan Gongwang and others guarded the carriage and left along a small path.
Xiao Junmo and Chu Lisang watched them go away, feeling a little sad in their hearts.
"Retiring to Linquan, living a simple life, and enjoying pure happiness is also what I wish for." Chu Lisang said suddenly.
Xiao Junmo heard the implication, and said with a faint smile: "I promise you, we will be able to live this kind of life soon."
When Chu Lisang heard it, he was very pleased, but he said: "Who said I want to live with you? I'm talking about myself."
"Okay, it doesn't matter if we don't live together. The big deal is that the two of us share a hut with a fence in between. It's okay to be neighbors, right?"
"En." Chu Lisang nodded seriously, "It can be considered."
"But..." Xiao Junmo turned his head and stared at her, "The neighbors have been together for a long time, I'm afraid they will fall in love with each other!"
Chu Lisang smiled, and suddenly said: "If you had never met me, and never been involved in these things, would you still want to leave Chang'an?"
"meeting."
"why?"
"Because I'm not suitable for officialdom, and I don't like it."
"But people can change." Chu Lisang thought thoughtfully, "If you were given enough power to do whatever you want, would you still dislike officialdom?"
"If I hadn't met you, I don't know if I would have changed." Xiao Junmo looked at her with burning eyes, "But now, I can say with confidence that I will not change. Because I already know that I will never change in my life. What is it?"
Chu Lisang also looked up at him, and suddenly remembered his life experience, and couldn't help saying in his heart: If one day, someone wants to push you to the position of supreme emperor and let you own the whole world, will you still refuse?Can you still say what you want with certainty like you are now?
Of course, she dared not say this.
But Chu Lisang didn't know that what Xiao Junmo was saying in his heart at this moment was: All men in the world long to own the world and become rich all over the world, but do you know that what I really want, Sang Er, is actually just three or two thatched huts, seven or eight Mu Susukida, and you who never leave each other—this is my whole world!
A gust of wind blew, shaking their clothes, and also rolled up the sporadic snow on the ground.
Longshouyuan has a towering terrain, and you can have a panoramic view of the whole Chang'an from here.At this moment, Chang'an City under the moonlight is still a bright and prosperous scene, as if those terrible plots and killings tonight never happened.
On this Shangyuan Festival in the 17th year of Zhenguan, Li Shimin experienced the most dangerous, chaotic, and thrilling night since he ascended the throne.
After Li Chengqian fainted in the Baifu Hall, Li Yuanchang, Du He and a group of East Palace soldiers had no leader, so they had to kneel down and surrender.Li Shimin ordered Li Ke and the other wounded to be sent to the imperial medical office. At the same time, he ordered Yuchi Jingde to lead the forbidden army to search for the remaining party of the prince in the palace. Zhao Dequan dealt with all kinds of aftermath matters... Li Shimin couldn't care less about rest after tossing around like this for a whole night, so he hurriedly summoned his eldest grandson Wuji, Liu Ji, Cen Wenwen, and Li Shiji to the palace for an audience.
The morning sun is just emerging, and the sun is shining lightly on the Taiji Palace with double eaves and complex buildings.
Li Shimin sat on the imperial couch in the Liangyi Hall, his face was pale, and his eyes were bloodshot.
Zhao Dequan stood aside, while Changsun Wuji, Liu Ji, Cen Wenwen, and Li Shiji knelt below, not daring to show their air.
After a long time, Li Shimin's gloomy, worried and indignant voice sounded in the empty hall: "A few days ago, the king of Qi was executed just now, and my heart felt like a knife; now the crown prince rebelled openly, and put the knife on my neck! I don't know. You civil and military ministers, how do you feel at this moment?"
None of the four dared to answer.But Changsun Wuji, as the chief prime minister, couldn't justify keeping silent, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say: "Return to your majesty, the prince suddenly launched a attack, and the ministers were also deeply shocked. Fortunately, God bless me, the prince did not succeed in the end, and your majesty was also a dragon." I'm fine, it's just a false alarm..."
"False alarm?" Li Shimin interrupted him coldly, "You said it lightly! If the prince had been more ruthless last night, and the sword would have been pushed forward by two inches, I'm afraid that sitting on the imperial couch talking to you right now, I'm afraid that you'll be the one who's the only one who can't speak." It's not me, but the prince!"
"Yes, it is the crime of the ministers who failed to detect the prince's conspiracy in advance and put His Majesty in a dangerous situation. The ministers cannot escape the blame and the crime is unforgivable!" Changsun Wuji hurriedly said, "Fortunately, the prince's humanity has not yet been revealed." It's a blessing among misfortunes that it didn't lead to a catastrophe if it was obliterated and the conscience was not lost!"
Li Shimin was thinking about something, and suddenly his expression darkened: "As the prime minister, you are of course negligent in your duties, but having said that, as a father, I also have an unshirkable responsibility for teaching such a son."
Hearing that the emperor blamed himself, everyone was even more afraid to speak up, so they fell silent for a while.
After a while, Li Shimin sighed, calmed everyone down, and asked, "Where is Hou Junji now?"
"Return to Your Majesty," Li Shiji said, "I have imprisoned him in Xuanjiawei, awaiting His Majesty's decision."
Li Shimin smiled wryly: "I just rated him as one of the 24 heroes in the founding of the country. The portrait Yan Liben painted for him has not yet been hung in the Lingyan Pavilion. Fortunately, he suddenly turned himself into a prisoner."
As soon as Hou Junji was mentioned, Liu Ji felt regretful in his heart.
I have been cautious all my life, and I have never thought that after drinking a few more glasses last night, I revealed the list of heroes who have not yet been made public to Hou Junji. It will not be guaranteed.
"Your Majesty, an ungrateful and ambitious villain like Hou Junji has already lost his qualifications as a hero." Changsun Wuji said angrily, "I suggest that he be removed from the list of heroes, and his portrait cannot be included in Lingyan Pavilion .”
He almost became Hou Junji's hostage last night, and Changsun Wuji is still terrified of his embarrassment to this day, so he has a bitter heart.
When Liu Ji heard this, his heart trembled suddenly.
Neither Changsun Wuji nor the emperor knew that Hou Junji had already learned about the list of heroes from him, so they thought it was all right to remove him, but the problem was that Hou Junji already knew, if he really If you brush it off, Hou Junji will definitely not be angry. When the time comes, in order to fight for this posthumous name, he will definitely involve himself in it, and then everything will be over!
Thinking about this, Liu Ji didn't dare to keep silent anymore, and hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, I think the words of the eldest grandson are inappropriate."
Liu Ji has always been Changsun Wuji's deputy, and has always obeyed his advice, but at this moment he openly contradicted him. Changsun Wuji was very surprised and couldn't help turning his head to look at him.
Liu Jie lowered his head and stared at the ground, pretending not to see it.
"What's wrong?" Li Shimin said lightly.
"I believe that Hou Junji once made great contributions to the founding of the Tang Dynasty. A few years ago, he led an expedition to destroy Tuyuhun and Gaochang. It can be said that he has made outstanding contributions! Although he participated in the prince's rebellion and committed a heinous crime, but Merit is merit, and demerits are demerits, and his past achievements cannot be erased just because of his current crimes."
"Liu Shizhong," Changsun Wuji said displeased, "according to what you said, we still have to enshrine such rebellious officials and thieves in Lingyan Pavilion? What's the proper way? Do you want future generations to laugh at him or the joker?" ?”
"Eldest Sun Xianggong, the Holy Majesty has always distinguished rewards and punishments. How to deal with Hou Junji's crimes is the Holy Majesty's own decision. Letting Hou Junji go to Lingyan Pavilion is a reward for his past achievements. How can the two be confused?"
Changsun Wuji couldn't figure out how Liu Ji would contradict him for a dying person, and was waiting to argue again, when he heard Cen Wenwen say: "My grandson, I also think what Liu Shizhong said is not unreasonable. The emperor has history, right and wrong. Later generations have their own judgments, so how can they ignore Hou Junji's early achievements because he was not guaranteed at the end of the festival? If there is such a descendant, it can only show that he has no knowledge. I believe that a truly knowledgeable person must I will appreciate the Holy Majesty's way of dividing merits into demerits."
Long before Cen Wenwen joined the Tang Dynasty, he and Liu Ji worked together in the Southern Liang Dynasty, and the two had a close relationship, so of course he wanted to speak for him at this moment.Changsun Wuji found that he could not do anything alone, so he turned his face to the emperor, hoping that he would support him.
Li Shimin pondered for a long time before slowly saying: "What Liu Jihe said in the text is reasonable, and merit and crime should not be confused. Let's do as originally planned. After Yan Liben finishes painting the portraits of the 24 heroes, he will hang them on the Ling Yan Pavilion, this matter is settled like this."
Changsun Wuji was disappointed.
Liu Ji secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Dequan," Li Shimin changed the subject, "I heard that something happened to Wei Wang's residence last night?"
"Yes, everyone. Wei Wangfu was attacked by a group of unknown gangsters. Fortunately, the guards in the mansion were alert and killed the gangsters. His Royal Highness Wei Wang was also safe and sound."
"Unidentified gangster?" Li Shimin was a little suspicious, "Did you catch him alive?"
"According to what I know, the guards of the Wei Palace seem to have adopted the technique of attacking with fire, and those gangsters have been burned to black charcoal..."
Li Shimin frowned and thought for a while: "Shiji."
"The minister is here."
"I leave this matter to you. Check it out and find out who these so-called 'gangsters' are."
"The minister obeys the order."
"By the way..." Li Shimin looked at Li Shiji, "I'm a little puzzled, how did you find out that Hou Junji led people to infiltrate Shangshu Province last night?"
"Returning to Your Majesty, last night the minister and his subordinates happened to have a banquet at the government office of Benwei, and Benwei is just across the street from Shang Shuxing, so we accidentally discovered those lurking people."
"Didn't you Xuanjiawei always make a big holiday in the past years? Why do you want to have a banquet this year? And it's such a coincidence that you just ran into Hou Junji?" Li Shimin stared at him suspiciously, "Did you listen to it beforehand?" What's the noise?"
"Your Majesty, there is absolutely no such thing!" Li Shiji was startled, "This is really a coincidence. I think that in the past year, Benwei has handled many cases, and his subordinates have worked very hard, so I want to reward them all." It's just to boost morale."
Li Shimin thought for a while, didn't say anything, and turned his face to Zhao Dequan: "Last night, when Chengqian was in a critical situation, Chengqian suddenly passed out, what was the reason, and what did the imperial physician say later?"
"Back to everyone, the imperial doctor said that His Royal Highness's symptoms at that time were cold limbs, heavy breathing, thin white tongue coating, and sinking pulse. This kind of syncope should be caused by excessive tension and mental stimulation."
Li Shimin sighed deeply, and immediately raised his eyes to look around the crowd: "There were many strange things about the incident last night, and the most terrifying thing was that hundreds of guards in the Eastern Palace were all put on the armor of the imperial army, and the one I trust the most Li Anyan, the general of Zuo Tun Wei Zhonglang, has disappeared again! Shiji, have you searched Li Anyan's house in Zhaoguofang carefully?"
"Returning to Your Majesty, I took people to search the palace just before I entered the palace, but his house was already empty. Not only Li Anyan disappeared, but also his mother, wife and children. I asked his neighbors and learned that Li Anyan's family He was picked up a few days ago, and all the servants in the family were dismissed that day, and they all disappeared."
Li Shimin sneered: "That's obvious. This guy has long been involved in the prince's treason plan, but he was worried about failure, so he transferred his family in advance."
"Your Majesty's words are true." Li Shiji said, "It's just that Li Anyan may have regretted it later, so he cut off Feng Shijin's head with his own hands, and arrested the Donggong soldiers who were ambushing at Xuanwu Gate."
"Yeah, maybe in the end, he found out with his conscience."
"Your Majesty," Changsun Wuji said, "Although Li Anyan showed remorse in the end, he committed a heinous crime. Now he is absconding in fear of crime, which is purely flouting the laws of the country. I suggest that you issue a sea arrest document immediately and order all states and counties in the world to do their best. wanted!"
Li Shimin was silent for a while, and said: "You can handle this matter, but you have to tell the people below that if you find Li Anyan, you can only arrest him, and don't implicate your family."
Changsun Wuji was surprised: "But Your Majesty, this Li Anyan committed a serious crime of treason. According to the laws of my Tang Dynasty, if one person commits rebellion, all family members must sit together!"
"The law is nothing more than human feelings. Since he showed repentance at the last moment, the crime should be reduced as appropriate."
"Yes, I obey the order."
After Li Shimin finished speaking, he was thinking about something, and suddenly smiled wryly, with a somewhat helpless and sentimental expression: "Speaking of sin, what do you think is the most responsible for what happened last night?"
Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, not daring to answer easily.
"The person who is most responsible for the crime is me!"
Everyone was shocked at the same time.Changsun Wuji hurriedly said, "Why did Your Majesty say that?"
Li Shimin laughed at himself: "Didn't the ancients say it a long time ago - I am guilty, and there is nothing to do; all parties are guilty, and I am guilty!"
No one dared to speak out, and the hall was completely silent.
After a long time, Li Shimin waved his hands feebly: "I'm tired, you all step back."
Everyone immediately bowed and left.
When he reached the gate of the hall, Changsun Wuji glanced back secretly, and saw that the emperor was still sitting on the couch motionless.
After assisting the emperor for so many years, it was the first time for him to see such a haggard and tired look on the emperor's face, as if he had aged a lot overnight.
(End of this chapter)
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