Strong man! Fierce man!
This was Xiao Cheng's most direct evaluation of Peng Shihao. Regarding the sudden appearance of this outstanding man, Xiao Cheng immediately understood that he was the only one here who could chat with Hong Yi so freely.
That day he was the son of Peng Shichou, the new barbarian king of western Chu. Later, Peng Shichou died because he was married to the sister of Ma Xifan of the Ma family. The Ma Xifan who succeeded the Ma family was not a thing. Peng Shichou actually led the barbarians to resist the Chu government.
Although Peng Shichou was defeated in the end, the Ma family in Chu had nothing to do with Peng Shichou. Peng Shihao signed a world alliance with the Ma family on behalf of Zhuman. In the years after the reconciliation, Peng Shihao often lived in Tanzhou as a commander of strong crossbows. He also led the governor of Chenzhou and took charge of the barbarians in western Chu.
Later, there was civil strife among the Ma family members. Peng Shihao, who had always been friendly with Ma Xi'e, followed him in the south and north, and overthrew Ma Xiguang, the nominal king of Chu. Because the general mutinied, he followed Ma Xi'e and was imprisoned in Hengshan. He also supported Ma Xi'e as the king of Hengshan in Hengzhou. In the end, although Bian Hao conquered the entire Chu region and moved into the Tang state with Ma Xi'e, he was also treated with great courtesy by the Tang state.
In the era when all the horses in Chu were competing for the throne, he could be said to be the well-deserved God of War in Chu.
Even if he was later moved to Jinling by the Tang State, even if the Tang State forces withdrew from the Chu Territory, the Chu Territory was finally occupied by the warlord Zhou Xingfeng. However, the leadership of the barbarians in Western Chu was still nominally led by Peng Shihao. Of course, no one dared to touch the Peng family. Even the Central Plains court granted a title to the Peng family in Western Chu. The reason was all because of this unattractive person in front of them!
What a great guy!
Li Hongyi was very grateful, but he never expected that Peng Shihao would take the initiative to talk to him. Others don't know the reason, but Li Hongyi himself understands it, because after Peng Shihao entered the court with the Ma family that year, his father heard about his loyalty and courage and promoted him to the direct commander of the palace.
It was that year that I met him and worshiped him as a boxing master, but few people knew about this. Because there was an emperor's younger brother in the court, and he was just a prince. A group of civil servants and generals in the court all took turns teaching the emperor's younger brother. Although my princes usually have Professor Wang Fu, how can those people teach me anything.
After I was lucky enough to get to know Peng Shihao, I discovered that this humble man was a genius. Not only does he have a fighting prowess that is not weaker than that of Bian Hao, the God of War of the Tang Dynasty, but he is also a very strategic and handsome man. Li Hongyi knew that he had found a good master. Unfortunately, Peng Shihao had just entered the court at that time. Although his father valued him highly, he did not promote him to the rank of master.
Now that he thinks about it, Li Hongyi understands clearly that many people were jealous of Peng Shihao's talents at that time. I secretly followed him to learn skills, but my father knew and acquiesced. However, he did not treat himself with special favors when teaching because he was a prince.
The commander-in-chief of his southern and northern wars these years was the result of studying with him that year. Although it didn't take too long, following him, I learned the real Geshan Bull Fighting Boxing and the Demon-Dancing Spear passed down from the ancestors of the Peng family. This kind of overbearing foreign martial arts allowed him to achieve extraordinary feats in the following years when he led the army in battles.
But all this seems to have nothing to do with me now!
I am nothing more than a useless person now! Although he still has a royal jade certificate, he is already an insignificant commoner!
However, I still have to be grateful to my master. Although he has been transferred from a military commander to a civil servant by his father, he is still as close to me as before, and he has not shunned him because of other people's eyes. Nor is it because he is a commoner that he doesn't get close to him. Maybe it's because he became a civil servant that he was so unscrupulous!
Li Hongyi sighed slightly in his heart, but the Sizhu Palace music that kept playing in his ears seemed to be laughing at his failure. The crowds of people coming and going chatting and laughing were like a revolving door in front of him, but they were so strange and vague.
Others say it was because the Tang State was suppressed by the Zhou State in the Central Plains and had lowered its national system. Being dethroned by his father was just a trivial matter among the princes. Li Hongyi's heart was full of reluctance. Not to mention the natural dangers of the Yangtze River, even the more than 30 states that were still in hand were enough to resist Zhou Guo's arrogance!
Father, Father! Where have all your ambitions gone? Why do you think it is right when the ministers around you say it, but when your son says it, he is treasonous?
Li Hongyi felt a little confused, and suddenly Peng Shihao's low voice asked in his ears: "Master, do you know that Taoist priest over there?" Li Hongyi came back to his senses, but it was Peng Shihao who saw someone looking over here and asking him.
Looking over, he saw a young cultivator standing there with his hands behind his hands, looking at him as if he was interested, with a pair of clear eyes paying attention, polite but not ostentatious.
Although he didn't know this person, Li Hongyi recognized him at a glance. He was Xiao Cheng who had just entered the Daming Palace with Mr. Geng from Xiaoyao Sect. If they met in normal times, Li Hongyi would still wonder how this cultivator could be so rude, but now it doesn't matter to him anymore.
Peng Shihao naturally saw Xiao Cheng, and his eyes suddenly narrowed slightly. A stream of light seemed to shoot out from those eyes, penetrating Xiao Cheng's whole person. Although he didn't care what others thought about his contact with Li Hongyi, he still had some doubts and caution in his heart when others were observing him without paying attention.
Today's emperor Li Jing is no longer the emperor he was when he entered the dynasty! Externally he has claimed to be the lord of the princes and the country, so he is still extremely wary of the ministers around him. I have received the imperial title and respect from Li Jing, but I have also accepted the imperial title from the Zhou Kingdom in the Central Plains. I am an outlier here, and I have to guard against the intentions of some people.
There was only a distance of four or five meters, but Xiao Cheng felt his whole body tighten, as if he was restrained by something. Xiao Cheng's current skills are still limited to being better than ordinary soldiers. This is because of the special training he received that day. Compared with the masters in the world, there is still a lot of gap.
Although Peng Shihao is not a master in the world, his natural supernatural power and ancestral fists make him a top player among generals from all over the world. What's more, he has killed countless people in battles throughout his life, and many people find it difficult to resist the murderous aura emanating from him. Looking at Peng Shihao's sharp eyes, Xiao Cheng felt that his back was actually sweating, and he was as surprised as when he saw his master Feng Biwei for the first time.
Although he didn't have a weapon in his hand, he didn't glare at him angrily. But facing his sharp and penetrating eyes, Xiao Cheng felt that his whole body was like a sharp sword that could penetrate him at any time.
What a strong murderous aura!
This was the palace, and Xiao Cheng expected that Peng Shihao would not get angry easily. Looking at the people around him from the corner of his eyes, no one seemed to feel anything strange about Peng Shihao. Xiao Cheng was even more surprised. Could it be that just because I was looking at him, he was actually targeting me alone?
At this moment, Xiao Cheng felt a little scared, feeling that he was indeed taking a risk and being abrupt. I was rapidly calculating the current gains and losses in my mind, but found that no matter how I reacted, it might be wrong. So I must be worried about what the five ghosts in my heart are afraid of!
When he looked at Peng Shihao again, sure enough, his eyes had turned to look at him indifferently, as if the person just now was not him and nothing had happened at all. The powerful energy in his sharp eyes just now seemed not to be emanating from him at all, causing huge pressure on himself, and it was not him as a person.
Thinking of how powerful his master Feng Biwei was, not to mention the fact that the head of the Xiaoyao Sect was in the Daming Palace at the moment, Xiao Cheng became even more courageous. He nodded slightly to Peng Shihao and Li Hongyi, indicating that he felt guilt-free and free of contention in his heart.
Taking a few steps forward, he was three meters away and said, "Xiao Cheng, a cultivator, has met Master Peng and Mr. Li!"
The surprise in Peng Shihao's eyes flashed away. Naturally, he had just seen that Xiao Cheng came to the Daming Palace with Mr. Geng. For the moment, he couldn't figure out the intentions of Xiao Cheng or the Xiaoyao Sect. He turned his head and looked at the palace where the cheers were continuing. It must be that some official had made a good comment again, and everyone was cheering enthusiastically.
"Taoist Xiao, a famous member of the Long-Yuan Xiaoyao Sect, must be practicing in Xiaoyao Palace in Jinling! If someone has time, I would like to pay him a visit!" Peng Shihao's voice was light, but Li Hongyi, who was standing next to him, did not say a word, because he obviously didn't know How to answer Xiao Cheng.
Mr. Geng is practicing in the palace and is the most trusted practitioner by Emperor Li Jing. In particular, there were rumors both inside and outside the palace that she had a son with the emperor. Xiao Cheng was Mr. Geng's younger brother. When he couldn't figure out Xiao Cheng's purpose, Li Hongyi, who had just been abandoned, would not dare to talk to Xiao Cheng.
"Xiao Dao has long admired Lord Peng's reputation. Because he has been practicing Taoism for a short period of time, it is inevitable that he still has a secular heart. Because I heard that Sir is well versed in fighting cattle from across the mountain and swinging demon spears. Xiao Dao also likes martial arts and hopes to have the opportunity to learn from Sir!" Xiao Cheng He bowed his hands politely and saluted again.
He didn't know how to answer Peng Shihao, but suddenly Geng Xiansheng's reply sounded in his ears, asking him to get close to Peng Shihao. Although Xiao Cheng didn't know Geng Xiansheng's intentions, he thought that in his current position, he could talk to these two people, which was something he didn't dare to think about before, so he followed Geng Xiansheng's message transmission and started communicating with Peng Shihao.
Others did not interfere, but Xiao Cheng followed Geng Xiansheng's message and invited Peng Shihao to visit Xiaoyao Palace when he had time. After all, Peng Shihao was a rare talent in the Tang Dynasty, and he would not usually form cliques. It would be a great thing if the Xiaoyao Sect could get Peng Shihao's support.
Of course, after seeing Peng Shihao's polite words, he seemed a little indifferent to his invitation and enthusiasm, Xiao Cheng naturally understood the truth that abnormality is a monster. So he accidentally revealed that he was a disciple of the Supreme Elder of Xiaoyao Sect. Sure enough, Peng Shihao became a little moved. In that gang, the Supreme Elder was the one who could influence the leader.
He didn't become enthusiastic right away, but he exchanged some polite words with Xiao during the chat. Seeing that Xiao Cheng did not talk to Li Hongyi, his expression gradually softened a lot, and he also took the initiative to mention Li Hongyi next to Xiao Cheng.
Li Hongyi, however, remained silent, watching the two people talking wildly and just listening. The two of them also chatted from Taoism to Buddhism, and from Buddhism to knight-errant swordsmen in the world. Because when he heard Peng Shihao mention Master Mu Ping in his words, his eyes seemed to light up.
Xiao Cheng heard Peng Shihao say that Master Mu Ping was going to preach, and thought that her master had mentioned taking her to see Master Mu Ping. Although she did not explain the reason in detail to herself, she was said to have gone there in the evening. Hearing that his uncle Su Hou mentioned that he seemed to be related to Bian Hao and that he was going there tomorrow, he invited Peng Shihao to go with him.
Xiao Cheng mentioned it casually, but he didn't expect Peng Shihao to agree happily. He even tilted his head and asked Li Hongyi if he wanted to go with him. Although he didn't know what Li Hongyi was thinking, he nodded in response.
Because there is no need to go to court tomorrow to rest, Li Jing will entertain guests tonight. Peng Shihao made an appointment with Xiao Cheng to meet tomorrow and put the topic elsewhere. But what the two people said was irrelevant, because Geng Xiansheng sent word that it seemed to be over.
The two of them were chatting and gradually getting used to each other. Although there was only Li Hongyi listening next to them, even if the guards looked over from time to time, they did not dare to come close to listen to what the three of them were saying together. Look, the night banquet here is finally coming to an end, but it’s about to break up because Emperor Li Jing is tired.
Geng Xiansheng naturally wanted to stay in the palace, because although the Xiaoyao Sect's palace in Jinling was Xiaoyao Palace, she had a palace granted by Li Jing in the palace. The message told Xiao Cheng to go outside the palace gate, and a disciple of Xiaoyao Sect would pick him up.
Although Xiao Cheng entered the palace for the first time and was not familiar with Jinling City, he didn't worry when he knew someone would pick him up. Seeing Peng Shihao saying goodbye to Li Hongyi and leaving the palace, he couldn't follow Peng Shihao, so he had to say goodbye to the two of them politely.
What Xiao Cheng didn't expect was that Li Hongyi never spoke to him. Even when he saw him saluting when they were parting, he just looked at him and understood. After Peng Shihao and Xiao Cheng followed the people coming out of the Daming Palace, Li Hongyi glanced at the brightly lit hall of the Daming Palace, turned around and disappeared without knowing where he was.
The night is actually slightly cooler!
There seems to be a chill in the air in this season, which is really surprising.
The palace lantern stretched the figure's figure very long. This was a side road out of the palace, usually used by the palace servants.
Li Hongyi left the Daming Palace, but he couldn't walk around because there was a guard and an eunuch waiting for him at the palace gate. After his father abolished himself, although he did not restrict his usual actions, he obviously stopped communicating with him.
No matter what the reason is, Li Hongyi naturally hopes to go back to the past. Although the Tang Kingdom is now downgraded to a vassal state externally, even the father is only called the Lord of the country to the outside world, and the successor is currently a prince at most, but the world is uncertain and who knows what will happen in the future!
At least in the Tang Kingdom, the person in power of the feudal town was still the emperor. Li Hongyi is not only nostalgic for the identity of the prince, but also has the advantages of this identity. He can raise his arms and shout to unify the world!
But now, no matter where I go, there are people sent by the palace to follow me. Even if it is a simple road, because of my status as a commoner, I have no right to walk with everyone.
That little Taoist priest who has no identity is better than he can be with the officials. When he thought of this, Li Hongyi's face turned a little pale, he walked very slowly, and his fingers were clenched tightly and turned white.
The night wind blew against my face, and another trace of moisture seemed to cross my face. Although he walked slowly, Li Hongyi did not stop.
I don't know why the weather has changed. Looking at the sky illuminated by the palace lanterns, it looks like a huge black hole. The depths of the darkness seem to be a huge mouth that can swallow everything.
Sure enough, the wind picked up!
Li Hongyi took the small side road next to the palace. He had no identity and left the palace gate through the main road. Although the emperor did not prohibit his freedom, the accompanying guards and eunuchs did not dare to take him away. The reason why I was able to enter the Daming Palace at night was because the emperor had not issued a ban.
When they were about to arrive in front of the palace gate, they discovered that these well-fed officials and the emperor's guests were walking slower than the three of them. Li Hongyi stopped and watched the crowd slowly approaching, but his eyes seemed to feel that everything was a little strange.
Standing by the palace gate, people with various official responsibilities and colorful official robes walked out of the palace one after another. Li Hongyi huddled in the shadow of the side door, his eyes unclear whether it was pain or confusion.
He seems to be waiting for someone!
A person who has been in awe of himself since childhood!
However, until no more officials were seen coming out and the imperial army needed to close the palace door, they still did not see the person they wanted to see.
If it weren't for the fact that most of the imperial guards knew Li Hongyi, someone would have already come to drive them away. Not to mention that Li Hongyi's current identity is a commoner, he is just a prince with status. He is standing here at the palace gate for no reason, and the imperial guards on duty do not need to give him face.
Just when the conductor on duty was about to run out of patience, he heard Li Hongyi sigh slightly, looking at the brightly lit palace with seemingly endless nostalgia, and slowly turned around and walked outside. Although he glanced back, he never looked back, and his figure staggered and disappeared into the night.
The rain falling from the sky became more and more intense.
A woman in palace attire is holding a tung oil paper umbrella, leaning forward slightly to protect a man next to her from the rain. In the shadow of the palace, the man quietly watched the lonely figure leave, and the palace door slowly closed, annihilating the figure.
Under the illumination of the palace lantern, the exposed half of the man's face was clearly revealed. He was not the protagonist in the Daming Palace just now, Duke Anding who had returned from a mission to Lingnan. Looking at the closed palace door, he felt a little confused in his eyes. He turned his head to look at the woman holding an umbrella beside him and sighed softly.
The figures of the two people finally disappeared in the shadow of the palace lantern.
Li Hongyi looked forward quietly. In this small courtyard, it seemed that a pair of longing eyes were yearning for the outside world.
The walls of the palace were high and deep, and his eyes seemed to be confused. It had been more than two hours since he returned from the palace, and he had not rested.
It seemed that there was a beautiful scenery in front of him, attracting his attention, and he was fascinated by it. In fact, there was only light rain falling in front of me, and the high-walled courtyard was like a mud frog trapped at the bottom of a well.
The rain was swaying and falling from the sky in an orderly manner. It was like a greedy child, showering on this person wantonly. The rainwater soaked into his hair and soaked into his clothes. The rainwater flowed down his beard and robe, slowly forming a trickle in the deep courtyard where he stood, but he seemed to feel nothing.
He has been standing here for more than two hours. Several attendants around him are standing far away, and they are also standing in the rain. Li Hongyi just let the rain soak through him. How could they dare to take shelter under the eaves of the steps?
Even though Li Hongyi had been dethroned, the emperor had no further instructions and arrangements, and not even the Li family clan came to interfere. This was the palace where Li Hongyi lived before he was enthroned, and now it has become Li Hongyi's temporary residence.
But looking at Li Hongyi's confused eyes, even though the attendants looked worried and panicked, they didn't dare to come over at all.
These are all the attendants who have followed Li Hongyi for a long time, including eunuchs who followed him from the East Palace and palace maids. As for the guards who were protecting the safety, they did not dare to enter this small courtyard. It was not that he was afraid of Li Hongyi's violent temper. Since he was deposed by the emperor's order, Li Hongyi had calmed down, but he was afraid of seeing Li Hongyi's absent-minded eyes.
Losing his temper can't solve the problem. Li Hongyi is no longer the fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy he was back then. Not only did he experience the Li family usurping the throne in place of Yang Wu, but he also experienced his father's high-spirited struggle to gain power. He also led troops out of the vassal vassal to become a vassal town, and even personally led the troops to conquer the neighboring vassal Wuyue Kingdom. Now Li Hongyi has matured.
Now under house arrest in this small courtyard, Li Hongyi understood one thing.
As the supreme ruler of the Tang State, he was no different from the rulers of previous dynasties in history. If the emperor hadn't spoken, who would have dared to do anything to him! If he was under house arrest here without the decree of his father, who would dare to do this?
It's not that Li Hongyi doesn't want to rest, but that Li Hongyi wants to find the trace of confusion in his heart. I purposely didn’t want anyone to come over, I just wanted to be quiet and think about my recent thoughts.
From the time when he left the feudal vassal to when he became the crown prince, although he experienced the change of emperor's uncles, it can be said that there were no dangers. Now that he has been deposed, Li Hongyi has vaguely captured something!
All rights come from the emperor's grant! To know all this is but a word.
He wanted to sober himself up because of Xiaoyu, who didn't change his mind at all.
The summer rain is not cold, it even makes people feel comfortable. Unlike the coolness last night, the rain in the morning is a bit warmer. But Li Hongyi didn't seem to feel anything, because people in the rain were confused, just because people's hearts were cold!
From the moment Emperor Ancestor Kao Li Min accepted Yang Wu's concession, the Li family established a rule that the eldest son would inherit the throne of the past generations. But I don't know why, at the moment when the emperor passed away, the Li family's ancestral motto became brother to brother.
No dynasty thinks that it will perish in one lifetime, so after it has established its foundation, it will think about its future generations.
What's more, as the powerful Li family dynasty, they believed that they were descendants of the Tang Dynasty, the emperor was a hero, and the son was a good man.
To be a hero who conquers the world, Li Hongyi has always thought so. The emperor's ancestor tested the first hero and finally won the Yang family's world. It was easier than the previous dynasty to win the Yang family's world in the Sui Dynasty.
As for his father, he was both talented in both civil and military affairs. He had seen his excellence since he was a child. He was a man of literary and military skills, and he first conquered the whole country of Fujian and then the whole world of Chu. He can truly be said to be worthy of being the hero in his heart, so Li Hongyi has always regarded his father as the hero in his heart.
It is natural for a son to imitate me. Li Hongyi never thought there was anything wrong with this. After all, not all of the world was under the control of the Li family. Li Hongyi was never in a hurry, because he still had plenty of opportunities to conquer the entire world.
Therefore, I never thought that what I did was wrong. As long as I came to power, I would ride my horse and whip the Central Plains, personally command the troops in the north and south, and let history remember me and the world remember me!
As the eldest son of the Li family, Li Hongyi received a comprehensive education since childhood. Therefore, he understands his father and thinks that he understands his father better than anyone else. Therefore, when my father has a knot in his heart, I have to remove the knot in his heart!
Li Hongyi did it! When the Tang Dynasty was at its most glorious, Li Hongyi knew that his father wanted to secure his position in the country, but when the Central Plains invaded, Li Hongyi knew that his father was worried about his status. So Li Hongyi personally killed his imperial uncle Li Jingsui, eliminating the biggest threat to his father!
Standing there, Li Hongyi did not change at all, but his heart felt like boiling water. What is the most painful thing for people?
It’s not that you failed to succeed after your efforts, it’s that when you put in the efforts, you realize that what you have put in is completely redundant!
If he didn't take action, someone would still do it, because my father simply couldn't give up the power in his hands and the unforgettable throne beneath him!
He even hesitated to cede the states in exchange for temporary peace!
