Chapter 2436: Chang'an is weird, Li Kui VS Li Si (Merry Christmas)
After Ban Chao was escorted away, Li Shimin stood up unsteadily, glared at Li Kui and Chang Sun Wuji, and left the hall without looking back.
Obviously he realized it himself. After the fall of Sanguan, his mind became confused and he became no longer calm. Even Li Kui and Changsun Wuji were suspicious.
In the competition between countries, it is crucial for the leader to be calm or non-committal, which means whether he can make the right decision, so Li Shimin decided to be alone.
Even Li Shimin, the rightful leader, left, and naturally the other ministers also left.
After Li Kui hesitated for a while, he decided to go with Changsun Wuji and conducted some tests on the way.
The reason why he would defend Ban Chao to the death was not only for the Li family, he also wanted to see who else would stand up to defend Ban Chao like him.
Nowadays, the internal situation in the Tang Kingdom is too complicated, and the boundaries between the pro-Qin and loyal Tang factions have been blurred, and the people in the pro-Qin faction who are exposed to the public are just minions.
Not to mention Li Kui, even Li Shimin was not sure who was pro-Qin.
Since he couldn't be sure, Li Kui had no choice but to use stupid methods. Those who stood up with him to protect Banchao were at least pro-Qin.
Although Li Kui did not think that Changsun Wuji would betray him, it was true that he was captured and released, so there still had to be some testing.
After some testing, Li Kui couldn't test it 100%, but he was only 80-90% sure that Changsun Wuji was not the leader of the pro-Qin faction. The reason why he kept Ban Chao was also for the sake of the Li family and his lord's family. .
“If it’s not Changsun Wuji, then who could it be?”
Li Kui's eyes were full of thoughts, and the figures of Li Si, Li Longji, Li Yu, Yu Wentai, Yang Biao, Xiong Fuchu, Xiong Qi and others appeared in his mind one after another.
Among these people, he could not be sure about each one, but each one had certain suspicions.
"Don't worry. My action of protecting Ban Chao today will definitely make the pro-Qin faction think that I also have a pro-Qin tendency, so someone will definitely come to test me."
As Li Kui expected, after he and Changsun Wuji separated, he returned to the mansion alone. When he was about to arrive home, he was stopped by an official.
"My lord, wait a minute. I have something to ask you."
In the carriage, a cold light flashed in Li Kui's eyes, but he hid it well, and thought to himself: Finally here.
But after he opened the carriage and saw the person coming, Li Kui's eyes flashed with surprise. The person who came was actually Li Min.
Li Min was the founding emperor of the Southern Tang Dynasty. His military achievements were average, but his political achievements were extremely significant.
Li Min was originally from the Li Tang clan, and with his outstanding political achievements, he was also a political figure in Li Tang, but his weight was obviously not important enough, and he could never be the leader of the pro-Qin faction.
Li Kui felt a little disappointed in his heart. He thought a big fish would fall out, but he didn't expect it was just a bridgehead, but he couldn't rush this kind of thing.
"Li Min, why did you stop me?"
Li Kui said lightly, "It's better not to be close than to be distant."
Although both of them are from the Li family in Longxi, their blood relationship is far apart, their status is very different, and they don't have many social interactions, so naturally they don't have many personal relationships to speak of.
After hearing what Li Kui said, Li Min said: "Sir, my lord's ideas are becoming more and more radical now. Only you and Lord Changsun can persuade him. Many officials, including our Li family, feel very uneasy. I don't know. Where to go.”
Li Kui sneered in his heart when he heard this. Sure enough, he came to test his attitude. He wanted to make some false promises with him first to see if he could deceive the big fish behind him.
Li Min didn't know what Li Kui was thinking. Seeing that Li Kui's words were full of disappointment and dissatisfaction with Li Shimin, he thought that he also had a tendency to be pro-Qin, so he was naturally overjoyed.
However, Li Min is not an ignorant person. Although he thinks he can win over Li Kui, he still doesn't know the basics, so he will not easily reveal the information about the pro-Qin faction.
Moreover, he didn't know who was behind the big network connecting the pro-Qin faction. He only secretly tested Li Kui after receiving the order.
After chatting with Li Min for a long time, Li Min said goodbye and left.
Li Kui looked at Li Min's leaving back, his eyes full of coldness. If this line was dug deeper, there might be unexpected goods.
At the same time, as soon as Li Sicai returned home, he secretly met with Qin's spies.
No one would have thought that Li Shimin's most relied-upon counselor, Li Si, who had always insisted on being anti-Qin, would be the leader of Li Tang's pro-Qin faction.
The person who secretly sent Li Min to contact Li Kui was Li Si. He wanted to know what Li Kui was thinking, but he did not dare to test Li Kui himself, so he could only ask Li Min to test it on his behalf.
As the leader of the pro-Qin faction, Li Si knew that the pro-Qin faction seemed to be a big deal in Li Tang, but in fact it was just a castle in the air.
Li Shimin's control over the army was too strong. Without much military power, they could only wave the flag and shout. Once it was completely exposed, and Li Shimin was determined to fight against the Qin to the end, he would definitely take action on those pro-Qin factions first.
This is also the main reason why Li Si is unwilling to be exposed.
"I heard that Li Shimin wanted to cook Ban Chao, but the one who stood up and risked his life to stop it was not you, Mr. Li, but Li Kui and Changsun Wuji."
The man in black said coldly, he is the second number with yellow characters, and his rank in Chang'an is second only to the number one with yellow characters.
Li Si knew that the other party was doubting his position, and couldn't help but smile bitterly: "It's not that simple here. Shimin's overreaction, Li Kui and Changsun Wuji jumped out again. I suspect that this is a trap set by Shimin."
Huang Zi No. 2 was startled. After a moment of reflection, he also showed a hint of recognition. After all, Li Shimin was not an ordinary person. His reaction today was indeed a bit abnormal. On the contrary, he was deliberately trying to work together more.
"Master Li, since you think Li Shimin is setting up a trap, why did you send someone to test Li Kui?"
"This is just a speculation, and I can't be sure. Once Li Kui really separates from Li Shimin, if we win him over, it will not just be as simple as taking half of Guanzhong, but even Li Shimin may be captured alive.
On the contrary, the most we can do is give up on Li Min, and there will be no evidence pointing to our side. "
Li Si is a qualified politician, and political fighting is undoubtedly the most dangerous. If he is not careful, it will affect everyone, so he will never be soft-hearted when it is time to give up.
Huang Zi No. 2 nodded. As a member of the Li family, Li Si didn't mind treating Li Min as an abandoned son. As a Qin native, he naturally wouldn't care about this.
"Li Tang has been separated. Chang'an can't hold on for long. However, Li Shimin still has more than 100,000 Tang troops. What you have to do is to try to get as many people as possible to minimize the losses for our Qin army. It's best to capture them without losing any blood. Let’s go to Chang’an.”
"I understand, but now that we have reached this point, can I finally meet the adult behind you? The legendary secret agent with the yellow letter No. 1?" Li Si asked with a faint smile.
Huang Zi No. 2's pupils shrank suddenly when he heard this, and he was extremely shocked. The secret agent lurking inside Li Tang was indeed Huang Zi No. 1, but how did Li Si know?
After seeing Huang Zi No. 2's reaction, the smile on Li Si's face became even bigger. He naturally analyzed it.
Although Li Si has decided to defect to Da Qin, the number one with the yellow character behind him has never been seen. This is obviously because he has not completely trusted him yet.
Now that the decisive battle is about to begin, Li Si must know the identity of Huang Zi No. 1. The meeting of the two sides will be more beneficial to the next action.
After Huang Zi No. 2 was silent for a long time, he said: "Okay, I will tell you, sir. As for whether I will see you or not, it is not something I can control."
"It's okay, you just need to tell the truth."
"Um."
Huang Zi No. 2 nodded honestly, no longer living up to his previous arrogance. He saw a trace of Jia Xu in Li Si. If Li Si entered the Qin Dynasty in the future, his status would definitely be above him, so it was best not to let him go.
"One more thing, Ban Chao will never die." Li Si said.
Although Ban Chao is in prison now, he does directly represent Li Jing and is the only banner of Da Qin in Chang'an. His life and death will determine the future of the entire Li Tang.
All pro-Qin officials and the Li family clan did not want Ban Chao to die in Chang'an, and this naturally included Li Si.
"When the day of the uprising comes, I still need Ban Chao to stand up and strengthen the resolve of all pro-Qin faction members. Although I can block famous guns for Ban Chao, I cannot block hidden arrows. I still need you to protect him secretly." Li Si said in a deep voice.
"Don't worry, nearly half of the people in Chang'an Prison are our people. Unless Li Shimin opens his mouth, no one can kill Master Ban Chao."
"That way I feel relieved."
As soon as Li Si finished speaking, there were footsteps outside the house.
After hearing the news, Huang Zi No. 2 glanced at Li Si and immediately jumped onto the beam and hid.
"Sir, this is a secret message from Lord Li Min."
"Okay, you go out."
"yes."
After the guard went out, Huang Zi No. 2 jumped down from the rafter. Li Si also opened the letter in front of him, and the two of them read through it together.
What was written in the letter was that Li Kui was dissatisfied with Li Shimin, and Li Min felt that he could win Li Kui over.
Huang Zi No. 2 woke up when he saw this: "Great, if we can win over Li Kui, our Great Qin will effortlessly..."
Before he finished speaking, Li Si walked to the candlestick and burned the letter directly.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
"Li Kui is a deep-minded person. Even if he is dissatisfied with Shimin's actions, he will never show it so obviously."
"So?"
"Yes, this must be a trap to lure me out."
Li Si was extremely serious and said in a deep voice: "Cut off all contact with Li Min. This person can give up."
"This, okay."
While Li Si and Li Kui were fighting for their wits and courage, Ban Chao in prison was also facing a decision. Should he eat beef? Is it better to eat mutton?
Ban Chao is not in jail. Not only is the punishment not imposed, the food is luxurious, and there is also wine and meat. Those who don't know better think he is on vacation.
Because of my new job, I didn’t update on Thursday and Friday. I will make up for it this weekend and there will be another update tonight.
(End of chapter)
