On the night of the Yuan Dynasty, the lanterns upstairs lit up the square in front of the palace.
Li Xiu finally stopped, panting, and stood behind the officials lining up in front.
Xue Bai was not as nervous as he was, and said: "Juro, I have an important matter to ask..."
"Why can't we wait until after the imperial banquet?"
"It's a matter of father and son to make Yang Shenjin and me, but someone gave Juro an idea?"
Li Xiu asked in surprise: "How did you know?"
Xue Bai frowned and recalled that day when he met Pei Mian in front of the gate of Youxiang Mansion. He looked at him to show his magnanimity, but he acted as if he didn't see him and just helped the king get into the car.
There is a conspiracy hidden in my heart, and of course I am afraid of being discovered.
"Is it Pei Mian's idea?"
Li Xiu said: "I was talking to Wang Zhun about finding a family for you, and Pei Mian happened to be present and gave him a brilliant idea."
Xue Bai nodded and admitted that this was indeed a brilliant plan.
Tonight, Yang Shenjin was asked to recognize his son. Tomorrow, the entire Yang family would be executed for treason. Not only his fake son, but also the Du family who adopted him were also involved.
At that time, all evidence pointing to Dong Gong and Pei Mian will naturally be destroyed, and all insiders will be silenced.
However, Xue Bai had evidence in his hands - the letter with the official seal of the East Palace used to contact Wu Kangcheng, and the two dead men.
But he only has this one card. Once played, it will all be taken away by Li Linfu whether he lives or dies.
Although they want to prevent father and son from recognizing their relatives, they cannot tell everything to the Right Prime Minister's Mansion and must be careful with temptations.
"Juro, I have something important to tell your right minister."
"It's too late, the imperial chariot is coming soon."
As he spoke, Li Xiu frowned, glanced in the direction of the red-robed officials, and comforted in a low voice: "I know you are reluctant to recognize Yang Shenjin as your father, but he is actually more reluctant than most people in the court. Badness is nothing more than being a little arrogant and not taking others into consideration."
"Juro, does he know where the murderer I am chasing tonight is?"
"Let's not mention that Li Wei went too far tonight." Li Xiu was a little impatient and reminded: "The imperial banquet is coming soon, so let's put everything aside. After attending the banquet, you will be the famous Yang Xu."
"It's possible that they are not Jinwuwei..."
~~
On the long street, a carriage was stopped. Li Jingzhong opened the curtain, took a look outside, and asked the green-robed official who stopped the carriage, "Who are you?"
"The chamberlain Shang Yuan Ankang, the subordinate is Pei Mian, the judge from the Gyeonggi envoy. He should have entered together with the prince from the Gyeonggi envoy, but he came late..."
"Come up," Li Jingzhong said, "I'll take you for a ride."
Pei Mian quickly thanked him, got on the carriage and whispered: "Mr. Li, something happened."
Li Jingzhong remained silent and waited for the next sentence.
"The plan was flawless. All witnesses and physical evidence were sent to Yang Shenjin. Once it was triggered, there would be no more East Palace case, only the Sui Yang rebellion case. But something went wrong, and Yang Shenjin should have been silenced. Six people…two less.”
"What do you mean by 'missing two people'? If you run away, chase me; if you hide, look for me. What's the use of you looking for me, an old slave?"
"After much thought, there is only one possibility. They were taken away by Xue Bai."
"who?"
Li Jingzhong asked sharply as if he had been stung.
Pei Mian said: "Xue Bai, it can only be him."
"Pei Gong, you will be the prime minister in the future! Can't you handle such a small thing?"
"The person is in Xue Bai's hands, and Xue Bai is in Xingqing Palace." Pei Mian said helplessly: "I am only an eighth-grade official, so I really can't interfere in the affairs of Xingqing Palace."
Li Jingzhong sighed and said, "What do you want me to do?"
"Xue Bai has too much in his hands, which is extremely threatening." Pei Mian said: "I originally planned to trigger the Yang Shenjin case again in two days, but it was too late. The case has to be closed tonight."
"What happened on Yuan Yue night? Do you dare to ruin the saint's enjoyment of watching lanterns?!"
"If it's too late, the situation must be controlled by Suo Douji."
Li Jingzhong's voice became shriller and asked: "Then if Xue Bai is not Yang Shenjin's son, can you still find a way to silence him?"
"Yes, there are many plans." Pei Mian said: "But we have to survive tonight..."
~~
At that time, the royal driver arrived at Xingqing Palace.
Xingqing Palace was the residence of the current saint when he was the vassal king. It was later converted into a palace city, occupying the entire Xingqingfang near Qingmen in the east of Chang'an City.
This place is located in the center of Chang'an, and it can indeed be said to be a place of joy for the people.
"I have to go. You stay outside the building and don't move around. No matter how long it takes, just wait for my arrangements."
"Inspection, Li Xiu, who will be the supervisor of the right school, is allowed to enter!"
Li Xiu really didn't have time to listen to Xue Bai's words, so he handed over the fish talisman and went straight into the calyx building.
Xue Bai watched his back disappear, turned around and left.
He first walked around to the outer direction where the horses were parked, observing the horses and carriages.
Originally, he was confident that he could recognize Yang Yuyao's chariot, but tonight there were many dignitaries in Xingqing Palace, and there were countless famous horses and chariots, so it was really difficult to find it.
After searching for a long time, someone suddenly called him.
"Xue Langjun?"
Turning around, I saw it was a bright pearl.
No wonder Xue Bai couldn't find it. It turned out that Yang Yuyao had bought another car.
"Ms. Mingzhu hasn't followed Yao Niang into the building yet?"
"The female family members came to the banquet a little later." Mingzhu winked and said, "Mother Yao said she doesn't want to pay attention to you."
Xue Bai understood, walked to the front of the car and said: "Yao Niang has a good health and a beautiful jade, and she will be blessed for hundreds of years."
A maid opened the car curtain, and Yang Yuyao, supported by Mingzhu, stepped gracefully onto the car and slowly got out of the car. Without looking at him, her face was indifferent and she said casually: "It turns out that he is the prospective son-in-law of Youxiang Mansion. What's the matter?"
"I came here to wish Yao Niang a happy holiday. I have nothing else to do, so I'll take my leave."
"Wait!"
Xue Baiben had turned around and stopped when he heard the sound of scolding.
"Come here, I have something to tell you." Yang Yuyao raised her hand in a charming gesture.
When Xue Bai was close, she deliberately leaned into his ear and whispered.
"I begged Yuhuan to arrange a life experience for you, and she asked a big chamberlain to do it. You know how difficult it is to do this. A big family is not under your control. If your family status is too low, it will hinder your future. You must be willing to admit it. You still need others to be able to find out the flaws. Fortunately, as long as you have a background, and I will take care of you from now on, are you still afraid that you will have no future?"
"As long as you can avoid being ostracized, an ordinary background is enough, but I didn't expect Yao Niang to bother so much. I'm really ashamed."
"What's the use of just saying nice things? If you don't put in more effort, how can you bear to be the son-in-law of the prime minister's house?" Yang Yuyao said angrily, "I have to go, come find me after the banquet."
The fragrant wind fades away.
Xue Bai was about to go back and continue waiting. Halfway there, someone called him again.
"Xue Bai?"
It was a simple carriage with only two wheels. A chamberlain was walking down holding a copper pot, it was Li Jingzhong.
The lights around him were bright, and Xue Bai could clearly see the panic in Li Jingzhong's eyes, the surprise, annoyance, and fear of being bitten by a poisonous snake when he wanted to trample an ant to death.
Maybe another kick?
Xue Bai was wary. At this time, there were Jinwu guards in the distance, but the surrounding carriages blocked their view. Li Jingzhong brought four young eunuchs, and he was the only one.
"Bang."
Li Jingzhong knelt down on the ground, put down the copper pot he was holding, raised his hand, and slapped himself in the face with a clean slap.
"Snapped!"
"Snapped!"
After being slapped on each side of his face, Li Jingzhong took two steps towards Xue Bai with his knees weak and kowtowed twice.
"The old slave deserves to die, please Xue Langjun kill the old slave, but please don't blame the prince again!"
Xue Bai's eyes narrowed and he became alert instantly.
Li Linfu's disciples were all full of intrigues and idle people, and it had been a long time since he had felt such loyalty and forbearance.
“Old slave deserves to die!”
Li Jingzhong was still talking, slapping himself every time he said a word.
"The prince ordered his slave to settle down Du Liangdi in order to protect Du Liangdi and Xue Langjun. The old slave deliberately misunderstood the prince's intention and ordered his silence without authorization. The old slave deserves to die!"
"Looking back later, I don't know how I could bear it at that time. The old slave was over forty years old, had no children, and was living alone. However, my sister had a daughter who died at the age of five. She was in mourning because of the loss of her daughter. No, if that girl were still alive, she would be the same age as her husband. How could the old slave be so heartbroken and crazy? I was so heartbroken and crazy at that time. The old slave deserves to die!"
"Thousands of mistakes are all the fault of this old slave. There is only one thing that is absolutely true. The prince has no intention of harming Mr. Xue Lang. The prince still does not know about this. You must not let the prince and Xue Lang be separated because of me, a humble slave. If you misunderstand, the rift will become deeper!"
He burst into tears and prostrated on the ground, wagging his tail and begging for mercy. He looked extremely pitiful.
Xue Bai said in a cold tone: "That's enough. The humbler you are today, the harder you will kill me in the future."
"No, I was born humble. I am willing to serve a noble man like Xue Langjun. It doesn't matter if I kneel down, as long as the emperor and his ministers can always be in harmony with each other in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, without suspicion of each other."
Li Jingzhong climbed forward like a dog, hugging Xue Bai's boots and begging.
Xue Bai kicked him away and shouted: "Are you done talking nonsense?"
When Li Jingzhong heard this, he felt like his flesh was being cut.
It didn't cost anything for him to cry and kneel down, but after hearing Xue Bai's hard-hearted tone, he actually wanted Dong Palace to pay the price.
“Mr.
"When I come out of the tank, I just want revenge. If I can drag the entire East Palace to be buried with me, it's worth it."
Li Jingzhong heard his serious tone and felt like crying. She thought, why can't this matter be solved?
He had no choice but to kowtow and cry and beg.
"What does Xue Langjun want? I will do my best to do it!"
Suddenly, beautiful drum music sounded in the calyx building.
That was the end of the ceremony for the official reception.
In the distance, women's laughter also sounded faintly, and the female family members also began to join the banquet. Even the wind blowing was fragrant...
~~
"Li Xiaoxian, hurry up, the Shangyuan Banquet is about to begin."
"Come out right now."
Someone pushed open the door of a veranda at the back of Huacalyx Building, and Li Tengkong pushed the door open reluctantly.
She was wearing the clothes of Princess Li Niang of Xianyi. A belt tied the colored skirt above her chest, and she wore a thin piece of silk.
This dress is gorgeous and bright, the silk material is soft and docile, and it can best outline a woman's figure. But Li Tengkong felt so uncomfortable. She was holding a colorful ribbon with her hands like other ladies of the Tang Dynasty, but she raised her hands higher and blocked them in front of her chest.
When Li Niang saw her, she couldn't help but cover her mouth and smile. She didn't laugh at her immediately and waved her to leave quickly.
"You will sit with me in a moment. My husband can't sit here tonight. He has to hold a banquet. Let's go quickly... Xiaodou Miao."
"You still said that!"
"Okay, let's not talk anymore. Where did a famous lady get dirty?"
"That's just what happened."
In front, there were countless maidens passing through the corridor holding wine bottles. They were all wearing jade conch buns and pink and white gauze skirts. They were all pretty, and the procession was endless.
The two walked around the corridor and entered the gorgeous back hall with high lanterns. At the ceremony gate, they met two other women. They were the two daughters of Zhang Queyi of Shangzhu Kingdom, the eldest daughter Zhang Si and the second daughter Zhang Ting.
Li Niang pulled Li Tengkong forward and introduced her: "The Seventeenth Niang of the Right Prime Minister's Mansion, her maiden name is Tengkong, and her courtesy name is Xiaoxian. She will leave the cabinet this year, and the wedding banquet will require help from various families."
"What a coincidence, my second mother-in-law is also marrying late and will be leaving the government this year. You should get close to each other."
Zhang Si said, pulling Zhang Ting forward.
Zhang Erniang was eighteen years old at the time, long past the age of marriage. She was very beautiful, but her cheekbones were a little high and she looked a little mean, but her smile was very pleasant and could cover up this small flaw in her appearance.
"Xiaoxian is similar to me. She got married at a young age, so she must have very high vision. I wonder which husband I have chosen now?"
"He is not a member of a high family." Although the marriage certificate has not yet been issued, Li Tengkong still responded generously, "He is just a white man."
"I see, then I won't be in the calyx building tonight." Zhang Ting covered her mouth and said with a smile, "Unfortunately, I originally wanted to take a sneak peek, but I didn't have the chance."
"In the future, I will host a banquet to invite my second wife, and we will be able to see her."
Although Li Tengkong was polite, he seemed a little cold.
After chatting with each other for a few more words, the Zhang sisters left. Zhang Si was impatient to chat with these daughters anymore, so he turned directly to the temple where the worshipers were, and said loudly: "Chicken prodigy, is there any gambling after the lanterns are lit?"
Here, Li Niang looked at Zhang Ting's back, and the smile on her face immediately turned cold.
"Do you know why Zhang Ting said she is similar to you? She is still not married when she is over 29 years old. She originally wanted to be a woman and be comfortable, and date any man she wants..."
"Talents are not the same." Li Tengkong said quickly: "Cultivating Taoism is to purify the mind and gain wisdom, and to help the world and accumulate good deeds. How can it be to date men?"
"Who wants to discuss this with you? Did you hear that Zhang Ting said goodbye to you?" Li Niang said: "The implication is that although she was not married until 29, she married the prince of the Tang Dynasty; you stayed until 28, But she only married a white woman. Zhang Erniang is famous for being sharp-tongued and not falling behind others, have you seen this?"
"Why do I hear this? I will marry a white man, and there won't be so many twists and turns in the future."
"Hey, why does the Right Prime Minister have a daughter like you?"
The more Li Niang thought about it, the more unhappy she became and continued to complain in a low voice. She knew that the only way to avoid getting into trouble was to talk to Li Xiaoxian about these concerns.
"The saint is closer to Zhang Queyi, his cousin, than to his own children. However, Zhang Quyi does not know what is good or bad and marries his daughter Dong Gong. This is a complete betrayal of us..."
Whispering all the way, Li Niang led Li Tengkong into the banquet.
There are many palaces in the calyx building. The royal family and female family members are on the west side of the main hall. Through heavy curtains, one can see a row of kings sitting in the main hall.
Among the kings, there is a figure who is particularly lonely, it is the elder brother of Li Niang's mother, the longevity king Li Xuan.
She couldn't help but secretly thought, Brother, it's time to cheer up. Li Linfu, who has been in Tianbao for six years, should finally overthrow Li Heng. There is still a chance for everything...
~~
"What do you think of my husband's appearance?"
"ah?"
Li Tengkong sat down and was thinking with his head down. After hearing this, he looked in the direction of Li Niang's finger.
The dance music for tonight's banquet is in charge of the consort Yang Hui. At this time, he is standing in the palace and arrogantly making the final arrangements for the dancers. He looks to be in his mid-thirties, with a dignified appearance and official majesty.
The next moment, a chamberlain came to the palace and reminded Yang Hui that the saint was coming soon. He immediately bowed and apologized piously.
After the eunuch left, Yang Hui looked at the palace maids around him again and scolded in a low voice, "You don't know how to move faster?!"
Li Niang felt satisfied and said: "You have seen my husband-in-law, then you can see Zhang Ting's husband-in-law."
As she spoke, she cast her mocking eyes towards the top position of the kings.
Prince Li Heng has just sat down. His appearance should be good, but his charm has long been worn away by stress and anxiety. Instead, he has gray hair, a slightly hunched back, a fat figure, and a timid behavior.
Li Niang really looked down on him and shook her head.
Li Tengkong was distracted again.
She had watched him for a long time behind the window of choosing a son-in-law, but she still didn't understand where the young man's unique feeling came from. She was the only one who felt that he could be born into this world, and he could also be born into this world. When you are born in the world, all living beings, princes and generals will be treated equally; when you enter the world, you will have a basis for advancing and retreating, and can handle things with ease...
"Hey, Li Xiaoxian, you pissed me off. What are you thinking about?"
"Princess, you said that if there is a man who treats his wife very well, is willing to sacrifice himself when she is in trouble, and is considerate at ordinary times, is this man good?"
"It's good."
"But what if he doesn't know that the woman in front of him is his wife?"
Li Niang immediately said: "That's a romantic nature. You can chop it up and feed it to the dogs."
Li Tengkong was stunned, pursed his lips, and his mood was no longer as high as before.
"You." Li Niang said, "You picked a white-haired guy. His character sounds bad. He's not even qualified to join the banquet. I can't even take a look at it. What's so good about it..."
At this moment, there was silence in the palace.
Suddenly no one dared to speak, and everyone stood up in unison.
"The saint has arrived!"
"Fuwei my emperor, Shangyuan is in good health!"
"Fuwei my emperor, Shangyuan is in good health!"
The sound spread layer by layer. The royal family and ministers nearby had finished shouting, and those far away started shouting.
And an old and hearty voice sounded in the hall.
"All the ministers are blessed with good health, and the people are celebrating together."
"The system of saints is celebrated by the whole world!"
Because of the saint's words, the sound of drums sounded in every building, spreading throughout Chang'an, and all the people in the 108 buildings could hear the holy message.
No one can sleep, everyone has to celebrate with the saint.
"The system of saints is celebrated by the whole world!"
For a time, hundreds of thousands of people in Chang'an City saluted and cheered in unison.
The lights were even brighter.
"Sage Shangyuan Ankang!"
"Sage Shangyuan Ankang!"
"..."
There is only one voice echoing between heaven and earth.
On the throne, Li Longji was bathing in the grand splendor and nodded with some satisfaction.
Throughout the ages, the rising and setting of the sun has never been stopped by human power, but every year on Yuan Yuan Night, he can break the day and night, and his power is higher than that of the sun and the moon.
Because this is the prosperous age of the Tang Dynasty that has never happened before.
He is the first sage king in history who has never existed in a thousand years!
Ordinary people talk about how the city of Chang'an is afraid of fire, how dangerous the lights are, how dangerous it is to have no curfew... they are as knowledgeable as ants.
They don’t know that only by going to Yuanye like this can all nations in the world witness this miraculous peak of prosperity and the Holy King!
(End of chapter)
