Before the saint entered the secret room, Feng Shenwei obtained the secret order and monitored Xue Bai to prevent him from harming the saint by setting up the secret room.
Therefore, in addition to Yang Guozhong, Feng Shenwei also followed Xue Bai closely and never left his eyes. Until the saint walked to the last secret room under the protection of Chen Xuanli, Xue Bai walked in the other direction, saying that he was going to see how the prince was doing. .
Feng Shenwei glanced in the direction of the saint and was about to follow Xue Bai, but he heard the palace man calling over there.
"Concubine?"
"What's wrong?"
"The imperial concubine was still here just now."
Feng Shenwei hesitated for a moment, fearing that he would lose the imperial concubine again, so he hurried over, pulled the rope in the corridor, and opened the door of the last secret room.
The majestic voice of the saint came from inside.
"Although the game is fake, Ge Luofeng's fate is real. Those who rebel against the Tang Dynasty will perish themselves..."
Feng Shenwei squinted his eyes. He couldn't see whether the imperial concubine was inside through the screen. Fortunately, he was sure that the saint was safe.
He slowly relaxed the rope, lowered the hanging door again, turned and walked deep into the secret room to find the imperial concubine.
Although he watched the whole process of the transformation of this secret room, when he actually walked into it, it was difficult to discern the path.
~~
The dim light of the lantern slightly dispelled the darkness in front of me.
Xue Bai looked down at the road and noticed that under Yang Yuhuan's skirt was a pair of plain white satin shoes with the toes turned up. This was the shoe pattern he designed when they were rehearsing "The Legend of White Snake". She even gave the shoe a special name, "Shuiyun Lu".
Dressed today, she should be thinking that if she had the chance, she could still sing the unfinished opera again.
"We were in 'Taihe City' just now. There was a warning, right?" Yang Yuhuan suddenly asked in a low voice.
"Um?"
"The people sent by An Lushan lied to us." Yang Yuhuan said: "When we were looking for clues in Taihe City, someone said that 'Hu'er cannot be trusted', and it turned out to be a clue."
It turned out that she was still thinking about the game just now.
"Yes." Xue Bai said: "There are more clues than these, but the saint deliberately ignored them."
Yang Yuhuan stopped, looked at the secret room behind him, and said, "Also, we could have met the prince here."
"Yes, if they hadn't walked too hastily, at least five people could have entered the final secret room."
Xue Bai's original arrangement was that it would take five people to defeat Ge Luofeng, but seeing that Li Longji only brought one person, he had to cancel the final problem.
But this no longer affected Yang Yuhuan's experience. She was quite happy to review the entire experience.
At the end, she still had more to say: "Next time, it will be interesting to turn "Journey to the West" into a secret room. How about setting up a silk hole? You, the entertainer, can start preparations right away."
Xue Bai listened but did not answer, seeming a little reluctant.
Yang Yuhuan glanced at his side face and knew that after he entered the officialdom, he always wanted to be a capable minister, not an incompetent minister. Her excitement just now gradually faded away, and she said, "I know you have great ambitions, so you must be very reluctant to do this to please the imperial concubine, right?"
"Sister, please don't say that."
"It doesn't matter, I can understand." Yang Yuhuan smiled and said, "Just like Li Bai, he was waiting for imperial edicts, but he only accompanied the saints to banquets, and wrote some poems about singing and dancing for me, so he felt depressed and frustrated. , how can I not even wink like this? You are all great talents, and Qu Cai came to make me smile. I am very grateful, and I am afraid that I will become a compliment."
"Unyielding talent." Xue Bai said: "The reason why King You of Zhou destroyed his country was that he was greedy and corrupt. He did not care about political affairs and appointed traitors. Even if he did not praise Si, he would also demote Si."
He didn't just follow Yang Yuhuan blindly. He didn't say this for An Wei's sake, he just stated his position frankly.
Yang Yuhuan has been accommodated by others since she was a child. Even the saint had to coax her in person. She was not used to Xue Bai's matter-of-fact attitude, but she was not angry. Instead, she said: "I know you are focused on national affairs, don't worry. No matter what official position you want, I will fight for it for you."
In fact, she rarely accommodates anyone like this.
"Concubine."
"Concubine."
Gao Lishi's call came from ahead.
Xue Bai did not dare to speak anymore, stopped, handed the lantern to Yang Yuhuan, and turned back.
Not long after, he heard Gao Lishi's voice behind him.
"The noble concubine is here. The saint is very worried about you."
"..."
Xue Bai deliberately stayed away, and soon he saw Li Tan.
"who?"
Xue Bai then walked into the fire and said: "King Jianning, the game is over. The saint has passed all the secret chambers."
"The saint is wise." Li Tan said, "I just lost my way here."
"Where are the Crown Prince and King Guangping?"
"If you continue to move forward, you will definitely be later than the saint."
Xue Bai actually grasped the progress of the three of them and said: "Today we know that King Jianning is wise, brave and agile."
Li Tan was still honest and did not pretend anymore. Instead, he approached Xue Bai and whispered in his ear: "Don't tell anyone, I'll treat you to a drink."
"good."
"hey-hey."
Li Tan smiled proudly, without any airs, showing a hint of naivety.
It can be seen from this that he is not as concerned about gains and losses as Li Chu.
After that, he didn't say anything serious, but discussed the various organs of the secret room, and then talked about Nanzhao.
"Actually, I can see your intentions." Li Tan lowered his voice again and said, "What you said today seems to be about Nanzhao, but in fact you want to remind the saint not to trust An Lushan too much."
"Is this my intention?" Xue Bai denied in a half-joking tone.
"I don't know how many hints I got along the way, how dare you say it's not true?" Li Tan said: "The saint named An Lushan the king of Dongping County, and I was also worried."
Before Xue Bai could speak, he waved his hand.
"You don't have to say it clearly. It's okay for me to be the emperor's grandson and to discuss government affairs unreasonably, but you will inevitably be taken advantage of. It's good to know my attitude."
Xue Bai said: "It doesn't matter, the saint has known that I don't like Anlu Mountain..."
The two of them were talking as they walked, bypassing the somewhat complicated passage, and someone holding a lantern came from the side and called out.
"The emperor's grandson."
Li Tan turned around and saw Gao Lishi coming, so he nodded to him and said, "Ah Weng."
Gao Lishi also nodded in greeting and said, "The emperor's grandson performed well today."
"Thank you for your praise."
"Where is the prince?"
"Grandpa and brother should have gone out safely."
"The saint is waiting, let's go."
~~
Feng Shenwei lost his way and the lantern in his hand went out.
Fortunately, after going around the passages, I finally heard footsteps and then saw a figure.
He followed the past and saw the silhouettes of Xue Bai and Li Tan.
But on the opposite side, Gao Lishi had already walked over first and called out: "Emperor's grandson."
Feng Shenwei was stunned for a moment, because he was facing Gao Lishi, and he could see Gao Lishi's eyes... clearly looking at Xue Bai.
Xue Bai and Li Tan actually turned their heads at the same time when they heard the call.
And after the sentence "The emperor's grandson performed well today", Feng Shenwei felt inexplicably that Gao Lishi was talking to Xue Bai.
He knew Gao Lishi so well that he could even feel the temptation in his tone.
The moment Li Tan held the ceremony, he felt that Gao Lishi and Xue Bai looked at each other.
"The saint is waiting, let's go... who is over there?" Gao Lishi suddenly shouted.
"It's a slave."
Feng Shenwei hurriedly ran forward and saluted Gao Lishi. He looked up and glanced at Xue Bai seemingly inadvertently.
A few people walked out. Feng Shenwei deliberately stayed a few steps behind, followed by Xue Baixing, and whispered: "I don't know how Xue Lang came up with such a superb game. It's really amazing."
"General Feng has given me the reward. It's just a family drink."
"But no one has ever thought of hosting a family dinner for a saint before." Feng Shenwei sighed with emotion.
"I just think that even though a saint is a supreme being, he also has joys, sorrows and joys."
Faced with such a sentence, Feng Shenwei did not dare to answer.
When they walked out of the secret room, they could already hear Li Longji's loud laughter, and he was talking about his strategies for successfully cracking each secret room in an instructive tone.
At the end, Li Longji looked at Xue Bai, praised him for a while, and asked, "Tell me, how do you want me to reward you?"
Envy immediately appeared in Yang Guozhong's eyes. Although he had held dozens of positions, his greed for power had not diminished at all. He knew that Xue Bai still wanted a formal official position in the imperial court, and when the time came, he would find a way to get a foothold in the entertainment envoy's job.
"I just did my duty, I don't dare to ask for rewards from the saint." Xue Bai stepped forward and declined at first.
Regardless of whether Li Longji likes him or not, he will not be stingy with this reward at this time.
"If you do a good job, I will reward you. Say it boldly."
Yang Yuhuan smiled slightly and gave Xue Bai an encouraging look, telling him to boldly ask for an official, and she would also persuade the saint to agree.
At this moment, Xue Bai thought about it one last time.
There were many roads in front of him, and he selected three.
One is to continue to follow the official path and squeeze into the positions of Wailang and Zhongshusheren in the six departments. This is the fastest way to rise to power under normal circumstances;
The second is to go to the army to gain experience. Currently, both Helong and Jiannan have opportunities to make achievements. The risks may be high, but there are also benefits, which can at least make up for his lack of military power;
The third is to take a chance, put all the chips on the gambling table, and pretend to be the emperor's grandson now. This move contains countless unknown risks. What you want is to live towards death, but in fact it is a narrow escape.
"minister……"
Xue Bai raised his eyes slightly and glanced at Feng Shenwei, only to see that the other party was looking at him very intently.
No matter who the spy from the Ministry of Internal Affairs was who Yang Yuhuan mentioned, Xue Bai sensed a dangerous aura. So, the first path seems stable, but in fact it is easy to fall into passivity; although the third path is a shortcut, it leaves life and death in the hands of Li Longji's thoughts.
"I ask the saint to grant me an official," Xue Bai said. "I would like to accompany the army to the south to pacify Geluofeng for the saint."
After all, he chose a path that allowed him to attack when he advanced and defend when he retreated.
Since he is now deeply mired in suspicion and suspicion, he might as well jump out of the court again and accumulate strength. Putting aside Li Longji's suspicions, he is still very young, and Li Longji is old, and time will become more and more favorable to him.
Even if during the campaign against Nanzhao, people noticed his alien intentions, he could quickly escape and wait for the opportunity.
Hearing this, Yang Guozhong was surprised at first, and then he was happy. He thought that Xue Bai was so suitable for him. He came up with a good way for the saint to have fun and left the court, leaving him with the good job of entertainment envoy.
Feng Shenwei lowered his head and breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, thinking to himself that it would be good if Xue Baizhen went with the army, so as to avoid the saint's constant suspicion.
Li Longji was also unexpected. He looked at Xue Bai and saw clean and bright eyes, full of sincerity and passion, dedicated to serving the country.
"Young spirit, do you know that war is dangerous?"
"I am not afraid of danger. The majesty of the Tang Dynasty is more important than my life."
Li Longji shook his head and smiled, mocking young Xue Bai, and said: "You are a top scholar who doesn't know how to fight. What's the use of going there? My soldiers are good at fighting, and there is no shortage of you. If you have this kind of thinking, why don't you do entertainment? The envoy's errands will be done well and more secret rooms will be built."
It's rare for a dignified emperor to open his mouth to persuade so much. He just needs Xue Bai to continue to be a minister.
At this moment, Xue Bai could suddenly feel Li Bai's depression about waiting for the imperial edict.
However, he did not have Li Bai's chivalrous spirit. He resigned from his official position and went north to explore the tiger's den. He found evidence but may not be able to solve the trouble.
"I recommend Yang Guozhong and Feng Shenwei as entertainment envoys." Xue Bai said: "They participated in the entire process of building the secret room. They came up with many wonderful ideas."
Yang Guozhong was overjoyed and hurriedly stepped forward and saluted: "I dare not take credit. I should have done better."
Feng Shenwei was flattered and responded humbly. But in his heart, he was secretly thinking about why Xue Bai repeatedly showed himself to be better than him, making it difficult for others to do so.
Li Longji still did not agree immediately. He turned to Yang Yuhuan and smiled: "Taizhen, he is your adopted brother. Do you think this is feasible?"
Yang Yuhuan didn't want Xue Bai to take risks, and was about to shake his head, but thought of what he had just said to Xue Bai, that no matter what official position he had, she would fight for him.
She thought to herself, so what if she regretted it? It's better than sending your brother to such a dangerous place.
But when the words came to her lips, she still said: "I only hate that I am a girl and can't relieve Sanlang's worries. Fortunately, my brother serves the country with fists, so what if the saint allows him?"
"Okay." Li Longji waved his hand coolly, "I'll make arrangements with the Minister tomorrow."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Li Longji is in a good mood today, as if any request he makes can be agreed to. Maybe Xue Bai pretends to be the emperor's grandson, and he will accept it.
~~
The second day of June.
A lychee placed on the table has changed a bit.
This was given by the saint. Li Linfu forgot to eat it and left it there, watching it slowly age.
He held the "Memory Bead" given to him by Zhang Bian in his hand, played with it, and asked Xue Bai in front of him: "What do you think about going to Nanzhao?"
"I thought that if I made military exploits, the saint would also grant me the title of 'King of Nanping County'."
"If you are afraid of Hu'er, you don't have to be like this." Li Linfu said: "All the vassals of the Tang Dynasty are controlled by the imperial court, and Hu'er can't do anything wrong. It's because I allowed him to prevent Li Heng from succeeding that he had the courage. If I didn't allow it, Of course he wouldn’t dare.”
Xue Bai had long felt that Li Linfu's attitude had changed after An Lushan was crowned king, so he asked: "The right minister invited me here today. What are your suggestions?"
"Turn hostility into friendship."
"The wedding of the Anqing clan is coming soon. An Lushan sent someone to Chang'an to give the right minister a jade silk?"
Li Linfu said slowly: "Everyone can work together to support King Qing. With An Lushan as his support, great things can be expected."
The two were still talking in Yanyue Hall. Xue Bai walked to the window and looked at the lake outside the hall, making sure that the conversation was not known to others.
"If King Qing becomes the crown prince, your ambition will be half successful." Li Linfu said, "There is no need to make many enemies, let alone many powerful enemies."
"It's hard to imagine that the words that advised me not to make enemies came from the mouth of the right prime minister."
Li Linfu ignored this kind of joke.
Xue Bai pondered and said, "Isn't the Right Prime Minister afraid that An Lushan will become Dong Zhuo?"
"The truth can suppress him."
"If you forget about it then, so what?"
"presumptuous."
Li Linfu was displeased, slapped the case and scolded him, and said nothing with a cold face.
There was a moment of silence in the hall, and Xue Bai thought quickly for a while.
Because he alienated Li Linfu and An Lushan, he still forced An Lushan to make some changes and at least be willing to express his support for Prince Qing. This change may seem small, but it may lead to bigger changes.
Even if there are people in the world who see An Lushan's different intentions, they still have the idea that as long as the saint is still alive, An Lushan will not dare to rebel, or in other words, he will not make much noise. This is due to the respect that the world has for Li Longji, Fear, including Li Linfu, also thinks so.
Even An Lushan himself was the same. If he had no choice, An Lushan would have wanted to wait until Li Longji died before rebelling.
Only Xue Bai knew one fact very well - Li Longji's survival would be of no benefit to quelling the Anshi Rebellion.
On the contrary, if someone replaces the throne earlier, before the situation in the court reaches its worst point, there may be a chance to contain An Lushan. And if the person who succeeds is Li Cong, Xue Bai can also take advantage of this Take more power.
In this way, An Lushan's proposal can be considered.
But it can only be done in vain.
Because the support An Lushan can give Li Cong is actually very small, unless Li Longji dies, Li Cong needs to mutiny, but in this case, as Xue Bai just said, An Lushan is very likely to become Dong Zhuo; conversely, An Lushan However, Lushan would use so-called cooperation to get many benefits from Li Linfu.
Xue Bai believed that what he had to do now was to pretend to cooperate and stabilize Anlu Mountain with false promises.
"Have you thought about it carefully?" Li Linfu asked impatiently.
Xue Bai said: "Look at what An Lushan wants, what can he give?"
"He has sent someone here. Come and see him." Li Linfu felt tired, so he rang the bell and summoned someone to take Xue Bai to the outer hall.
He sat alone in Yanyue Hall, thinking about what it would mean if he really came to power with King Xue Bai and Fu Qing...
~~
Xue Bai walked into the outer hall of the Prime Minister's Mansion and saw a middle-aged man standing in the hall.
"Xue Lang, long time no see!"
The other party turned around, looking very excited. He stepped forward and bowed, with a warm smile on his face, and asked, "Do you still remember me?"
However, Xue Bai could feel that he was very calm from the depths of his eyes.
This is a man with deep knowledge and good acting skills, but he just met Xue Bai, a thousand-year-old fox.
"Yan Zhuang." Xue Bai said: "Tianbao has been in the imperial examination for six years, and there are no sages left. How can I forget Brother Yan, this sage?"
"Can't be called a virtuous person." Yan Zhuang waved his hands repeatedly, very modestly.
Xue Bai said: "'Xian' is certain, but it is no longer 'Xian'."
Yan Zhuang smiled bitterly and said: "Fortunately, I was appreciated by King Dongping and was appointed as a Kongmu officer in Fanyang Jiedu Mansion. I am not as good as Xue Lang."
"I'm just an envoy for entertainment and a minister. I can't compare with Brother Yan to serve the country at the frontier."
In the six years of Tianbao, both of them have experienced the case of Ye Wuyi Xian in the imperial examination, but today they are gathered in the right prime minister's house to discuss.
This scene shows that they did not change the world, but were changed by the world.
"I came to Chang'an this time on the order of the Lord of the Palace to help arrange Dalang's marriage." Yan Zhuang said, "When I visited the Right Minister, I heard some things, so I wanted to have a heart-to-heart chat with Xue Lang. .”
Xue Bai nodded and waited for the next step.
"The prince has always looked at the right minister with his head straight, which offended the prince." Yan Zhuang smiled bitterly and said: "It's also strange that the prince is a rough man. When he came to the audience, he said, 'I don't know who the prince is.' Now he thought about it, I dare to be afraid, but I want to support Prince Qing as the crown prince. I wonder what Xue Lang wants?"
In just two or three years, Yan Zhuang has quickly matured, and his words are implicitly ambitious.
Xue Bai asked, "Why did you tell me?"
"Who doesn't know that Xue Lang and Dong Gong have a lot of hatred?"
"I also have issues with An Lushan."
"It can be eliminated during the holidays." Yan Zhuang said: "But the hatred with the East Palace cannot be eliminated."
"How can I trust you?"
Yan Zhuang was very eager and spoke boldly. He took a step forward and said, "When Dalang marries Princess Rongyi, he will be the son-in-law of Prince Qing. Doesn't this show the sincerity of the prince?"
Xue Bai asked: "Did you promote this matter?"
Yan Zhuang said: "Exactly."
Xue Bai asked again: "Someone can speak for you in the palace to promote this matter. Who did you bribe? Yuan Siyi?"
Yan Zhuang smiled but did not answer, and said: "Xue Lang only needs to know that Fujun is really willing to assist Prince Qing. He said, 'You can't go wrong if you follow my uncle's work.' I hope to work together with Xue Lang."
"What does he want?" Xue Bai asked.
Yan Zhuang became more serious, suppressed the smile on his face, and mused: "With the power of the Right Prime Minister, the Lord of the Palace, and Xue Lang's intelligence, there should be a 60% chance of winning. Only the East Palace has the support of Wang Zhongsi, which can help concern."
"What does Brother Yan mean?"
"If there is a post of governor of Hedong, the prince of the mansion will be able to ensure that King Qing ascends the throne."
Xue Bai could feel Yan Zhuang's arrogance and wantonness. Even Li Linfu was talking about "reservation", but only Yan Zhuang was talking about "ascension to the throne". This man did not have a high official position, but he was very courageous.
"How do you think I can help with this matter?"
Yan Zhuang smiled. This smile was completely different from before. Before, he was full of enthusiasm and humility, but now there was a look of pride in his eyes.
But he behaved very humbly, bowing and saying: "I don't ask Xue Lang for help, I just ask Xue Lang not to cause trouble again, and you will be rewarded generously."
After that, he added.
"It's better to be friends than enemies."
This is a threat.
From the reminiscing at the beginning, to the pleading in the middle, to the final threat, Yan Zhuang always carries a sense of confidence.
"Okay." Xue Bai said, "Can you tell me how you are going to plan this Hedong Jiedu envoy? In case I accidentally block it again."
"It's just a request from the saint." Yan Zhuang laughed and said, "You and I have known each other since we were young, and we have been inseparable. I really regard you as a good friend."
Having said what needed to be said, he stood up and said, "I still need to go to Prince Qing's Mansion to present my appointment. See you soon."
"Brother Yan, you are busy."
Xue Bai looked at Yan Zhuang's back and thought that although Wang Zhongsi was not in Hedong, the Hedong army was full of his old confidants. An Lushan couldn't get around Wang Zhongsi if he wanted to recruit the governor of Hedong.
The conquest of Nanzhao was imminent, and the newly enthroned King of Dongping County was afraid that he would persecute Wang Zhongsi again.
Today seems to be an attempt to scare the snake, but it's not like he is confident.
Li Linfu was already tempted by An Lushan's proposal. So, how determined was Li Cong to marry his daughter to An Lushan's eldest son?
Xue Bai seems to be very popular now, but after all, he is dependent on various forces, and his foundation is not solid. At present, he only has some private properties and some unknown private soldiers in Luhun Villa in Yanshi County.
Yan Zhuang saw through Xue Bai's dependence on others that he dared to be so arrogant.
But what Yan Zhuang didn't know was that what Xue Bai was doing was never to be attached, but to conquer...
Happy New Year to everyone!
(End of chapter)
