After Li Longji left Princess Taiping's residence, Princess Taiping paced back and forth alone in her study for a long time. Only then did she have someone invite Sir Mo and explain Li Longji's purpose in coming here.
Mo Yuhan cheerfully said, "It seems that Your Highness is not the only one sharpening the blade of the Wei clan and realizing that a great disaster is imminent. This Li San Lang is a shrewd man, but why did he not consult with the Prince of Xiang, but come to seek Your Highness's help? "
Princess Taiping bitterly smiled. "That elder brother of mine is like a woman, kind and soft-spoken. If I tell him this matter, I'm afraid it will only ruin things. But … "
Taiping slightly narrowed her eyes and said appreciatively, "But San Lang actually secretly returned from Luzhou. This lone master's throw is truly a ruthless character."
Mo Yuhan deeply agreed and nodded. "Able to rise and fall, resolute, shrewd and capable. If this sort of person is our opponent, then we must be very careful."
Taiping smiled brightly. "He has two elder brothers above him, and he is not a legitimate son. He will not get in the way."
Mo Yuhan asked, "What if he obtains the merit of the country?"
Princess Taiping confidently said, "So he came here because he wanted me to persuade his father at the crucial moment. But I want to participate in the entire process. If I fail, I will die with him. If I succeed, as his aunt, I will naturally take the greatest credit!"
… …
By the Longqing Pool, a green-robed Scribes strolled with his hands clasped behind his back. His steps were slow and restless, as if he was a Scribes relaxing by the lake. Only when one got closer could one see his tightly furrowed brow and anxious face.
This person was none other than Cui Riyong. It was true that he was the Ah Fu Sect's Chuke, but his goal was to rely on a large tree for shade. He had never imagined that Zong Chuke could become Emperor. When Zong Chuke told him of his grand dream, Cui Riyong's only thought was, Zong Chuke has gone mad!
Cui Riyong did not want to accompany Zong Chuke in his madness, much less accompany him in death. This large tree was about to become a blazing torch, and every moth that approached it would be burned to ashes. It was time to seek refuge with a wise master.
Cui Riyong pondered for a long time and came to the conclusion that if he wanted to expose Zong Chuke's scheme, he could only choose Wei Clan or Li Clan. Between Madam Wei and Madam Li, after weighing the pros and cons, he gradually leaned towards Madam Li.
Although Zong Chuke was an important member of the Wei Faction, he was Zong Chuke's trusted aide. In order to avoid arousing Zong Chuke's suspicions, he did not have much interaction with the other members of the Wei Faction. He was completely dependent on Zong Chuke alone.
But before that, his relationship with the Li family was quite harmonious. This was because he was only promoted by Zong Chuke after the first year of Dazu. But how did the first year of Dazu come about? That was a trick played by Yang Fan.
That year, Yang Fan was ordered by Wu Zetian to secretly sneak into Fangzhou to rescue the Prince of Luling. In Fangzhou, he was imprisoned for trifling matters. In order to escape without exposing their identities, they fabricated the story of the golden-armored deity and forged a huge footprint.
The local authorities submitted this matter to the Imperial Court. Wu Zetian believed it to be an auspicious omen, so the following year, the name of the year was changed to 'Dazu'. At the time, Wu Zetian had already decided to make her son Li Xian heir apparent, and the political situation of Li Tang's imperial clan began to improve.
The entire world knew that the next emperor would assuredly come from the Li family. In this sort of environment, Cui Riyong naturally had some close dealings with Li Tang's imperial clan.
And Li Xian, who had just returned from Fangzhou and been made Crown Prince, was extremely cautious in his conduct, fearing that he might make a mistake. Thus, the one who represented Li Tang's imperial clan in interacting with the nobles was the Prince of Xiang, so Cui Riyong was most familiar with the Prince of Xiang.
Moreover, Cui Riyong was a scholar and had studied the books of the sages since he was a child. He had a very strong sense of orthodoxy, and he had always believed that Li Tang was the true orthodoxy. Although he was Zong Chuke's disciple, when he first submitted to Zong Chuke, Zong Chuke had no intention of rebelling.
Now that Zong Chuke was coveting the throne, he had no choice but to make a choice. For these reasons and because he was in the Bureau of Military Personnel, he was well aware that the Wei clan could not win the morale of the army, so he ultimately chose the Li clan.
He wanted to report this news to the Prince of Xiang, but he did not dare to go to the Prince of Xiang's estate. The Prince of Xiang was too big of a target, and there was probably already someone watching him. Thus, Cui Riyong chose the Prince of Xiang's eldest son, Li Chengqi.
But when he reached the estate of the Prince of Shouchun, Li Chengqi, he couldn't help but hesitate. Advance or retreat, as long as he made the wrong choice, it could be a calamity. How could Cui Riyong not be conflicted? He paced back and forth for more than two hours before stamping his feet and walking to the gate of the estate …
… …
Ever since Li Xian's death, the Wei clan had grown increasingly rampant. In order to avoid trouble, Li Chengqi had spent the last few days in seclusion. When Cui Riyong arrived, he immediately sought him out. Upon hearing Cui Riyong's reason for coming, Li Chengqi couldn't help but pale in fright.
After sending off Cui Riyong with endless gratitude, he immediately returned to the inner residence to find Li Longji. Ever since Li Longji had secretly returned to the capital, he had been living in his estate.
Li Longji was also stunned by his big brother's explanation. Although he had long known that once Wei Empress stabilized the political situation, she would inevitably move against the Li clan, he had not expected the Wei party to move so quickly.
Even more surprising to Li Longji was that the Wei clan's number one thug, Zong Chuke, was actually so ambitious. Although Zong Chuke's plan sounded very absurd, upon careful thought, it was not impossible for it to succeed.
If Empress Wei used the crime of murdering Emperor Xian and executed the Prince of Xiang and Princess Taiping on the spot, while the hearts of the people were wavering, Zong Chuke suddenly emerged as a new force and reversed the verdict for Li Tang's imperial clan, capturing the Wei party in one fell swoop and controlling the young Son of Heaven, Li Zhongmao, then …
When he thought of the pros and cons, Li Longji couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. His big brother Li Chengqi's estate was next to Yang Fan's. Li Longji wanted nothing more than to immediately climb over the wall and tell Yang Fan of this astonishing news.
Fortunately, at this moment, he still remembered Yang Fan's warning. "No matter how urgent it is, you must meet at Yuzhen Temple. A ruler who is not secretive will lose his subject, and a subject who is not secretive will lose himself. Anything that is not secretive will lead to harm. San Lang must remember this! "
Li Longji did not know that Yang Fan was warning him like this because there was a traitor at Yang Fan's side and that Yang Fan did not want to uncover the traitor too soon, so he was warning him like this. However, Li Longji strictly abided by this promise.
Li Longji immediately disguised himself and hurried to Yuzhen Temple. Very quickly, a beautiful Daoist nun from Yuzhen Temple came out and rode an ox cart to Yang Fan's estate.
When the news was delivered to the rear residence, Yang Fan was holding his second son Yang Ji's hand and teaching him how to write. When he heard that someone from Yuzhen Temple had come to invite him, Yang Fan knew that something big must have happened. He quickly handed his son over to A Nu and hurried to Yuzhen Temple.
In Yuzhen Temple, Li Longji was restless. When Princess Yuzhen saw this, she asked him about the inside story. Li Longji did not hide it and told his sister the truth. Princess Yuzhen was also burning with anxiety.
After an unknown amount of time, Yang Fan finally arrived. Princess Yuzhen was aware of the urgency of the matter. Even though after she revealed her true feelings that day, Yang Fan did not avoid her visit for several days in a row, causing her to feel rather resentful, but right now it was not appropriate for her to talk about her love affair. Hastily she invited Yang Fan into the quiet room.
Li Longji told Yang Fan about the matter. Yang Fan was surprised and said, "Zong Chuke? I really did not expect him to have such ambitions. There is also the Wu clan. They are unwilling to be left out … "
When Li Longji saw that Yang Fan was calm and composed, he couldn't help but ask curiously, "Doesn't Erlang think that this matter is urgent?"
Yang Fan glanced at him. From his face full of heroic spirit, it was as if he saw himself from ten years ago. Yang Fan smiled and said, "Although the matter is urgent, we cannot be anxious. The more anxious we are, the easier it is to make mistakes."
Li Longji said in admiration, "Longji has learned something. Erlang is the one who is capable of great things."
Yang Fan shook his head and said, "If it was ten years ago, I might have been even more impulsive than you. If you had experienced a few life and death situations, you would naturally be able to calm down."
Yang Fan knocked on the table thoughtfully. After a moment of silence, he raised his eyes and said, "We were originally going to take action. We are just one step ahead of time. There is no need to panic. Three days later, we will make the first move!"
A smear of redness quickly spread to Li Longji's face. Li Longji clenched his fists and said excitedly, "I was waiting for you to say this! Then, let's make an appointment to fight to the death three days later! "
Yang Fan pressed hard on Li Longji's tender shoulders and said in a deep voice, "The net is going to be broken. We cannot die! The news must not be leaked. Wait until the day of the uprising, then inform them! "
Li Longji was stunned and said, "Don't we need to let the people prepare in advance?"
Yang Fan said, "What should we let them prepare? The first spurt of energy, the second decline, and the third exhaustion! A life and death struggle, victory or defeat is fated. That is all! "
Li Longji pondered over this sentence and nodded lightly.
When Yang Fan walked out of the quiet room, he saw Li Chiying sitting there in a daze with a zither on her knees. Her fingers were on the strings and she seemed to be thinking about something. Yang Fan looked at her deeply. In the end, he pursed his lips and strode towards the door.
"Erlang!"
Li Chiying suddenly woke up and hurriedly called out to him. Yang Fan stopped and turned around to look at her. Li Chiying gazed deeply at him, her beautiful eyes quickly overflowing with a layer of mist. "Erlang, take care!"
Yang Fan looked at her and slowly revealed a bright smile. He opened the door and walked out.
…
In the dark of the night, in a small building in the backyard of the Yang Residence, Yang Fan was wearing thin clothes and quietly leaning against the railing of the building, bathing in the frosty moonlight.
Wan 'er slowly walked over. She was wearing a soft and elegant snow-white robe. Her beautiful hair draped over her shoulders and her snow-white feet were bare. She was like a fairy condensed from the moonlight.
She walked to Yang Fan's side and draped a robe over Yang Fan's shoulders. She said softly, "It's cold at night."
"En!" Yang Fan tightened the robe and turned his head to look at Wan 'er. The cold moonlight shone on Wan' er's beautiful face. Her eyes were shining like stars. Yang Fan gently held her hand. Her hand was like soft jade, warm and smooth.
Yang Fan said in a low voice, "Wan 'er, make arrangements. That night in three days, you must be on duty in the palace!"
"En?"
Wan 'er first frowned in confusion. Then her eyes slowly widened. Her gaze became nervous and excited. She held Yang Fan's hand tightly and said excitedly, "In three days, we … are going to do something?"
Yang Fan opened his arms and gently embraced her. He looked up at the bright moon in the sky and said softly, "En! In three days, no matter whether we succeed or fail, you will no longer be a bird in a cage! "
In the faint clouds and the bright moon, a large bird flew out of nowhere. It silently stretched its wings, as if it had grown a pair of wings for the bright moon …
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