Li Dan truly did listen to his twin sister Taiping. Taiping had been doted on by Wu Zetian since childhood and had a strong personality. Li Dan, on the other hand, had been cautious since childhood and had long since lost his edge. He found it difficult to refuse Taiping's insistence.
In addition, Li Dan had been Emperor for eight years and Crown Prince for more than a decade. He had always been attacked and framed by the Wu clan, and it was all thanks to Princess Taiping's support. Li Dan was not a cold-blooded person like Li Xian. After receiving such kindness, he felt indebted and naturally could not be unyielding.
Thus, under Princess Taiping's persuasion, Li Dan finally agreed to go to the palace and resolve the dilemma of the officials not daring to go to court. They quickly changed horses and left the Prince of Xiang's estate, entering the Imperial Palace through a side gate.
When the Prince of Xiang saw Young Emperor Li Zhongmao under house arrest in the Divine Dragon Hall, he first comforted his nephew and then went with him to the Peaceful Fortune Gate to console the officials.
Young Emperor Li Zhongmao stood on the walls and saw countless officials kneeling before him. He could not help but look in fear at his uncle Li Dan, completely forgetting what he had been taught.
Seeing this, Li Dan could only sigh inwardly and repeat what he had been told. With each sentence Li Dan spoke, Li Zhongmao loudly declared, "Ministers, Empress Wei coveted the divine artifact and has been executed. I have nothing to ask of them. My subjects, please do not be too alarmed. "
Liu Youqiu whispered to Li Longji, "Prince, we should have the Emperor publicly announce that Empress Wei killed Emperor Xian with poison. Only then can the verdict be sealed and there be no more doubts."
Li Longji sighed softly and said with a wry smile, "My father's temperament … If it weren't for Aunt Taiping's persuasion, I'm afraid he would have cut himself off from the world and shut himself in to prove his innocence. How could I dare to ask for more?"
Young Emperor Li Zhongmao spread his arms on the walls and loudly declared, "Many of the common people in the city have been harassed by the rebels. We are truly uneasy and have specially exempted the people of the city from taxes for half a year to recuperate. Ministers, you may enter the golden hall and discuss the affairs of the state! "
After Li Dan's death, Young Emperor Li Zhongmao had been a puppet in Empress Wei's hands. The entire world knew of this. Now that Empress Wei had been executed and he had fallen into Li Longji's hands, he was still someone who could not make decisions. The officials would not believe him if he were to go to the city to appease them.
But this time, the Prince of Xiang was accompanying him to ascend the city. Who was the Prince of Xiang? That was Li Longji's father. Just by standing there, he was a guarantee of his credibility, so the officials naturally didn't doubt him. Therefore, when Li Zhongmao issued the edict, the officials all felt at ease. They all expressed their gratitude and accepted the edict, standing in line and preparing to enter the palace.
Seeing this, Li Longji's worried heart finally relaxed. "This farce has finally come to an end."
…
The next day, afternoon.
A small boat on Longqing Lake.
Shanghai Wan'er, wearing a bamboo hat and green clothes, was sitting on the side of the boat. She wasn't wearing any shoes or socks, and her trousers were rolled up. A pair of sparkling and beautiful jade feet were submerged in the clear lake water. She held a fishing rod in her hand, but her face didn't have the tranquility of a fisherman. Instead, she looked around with high spirits.
Yang Fan, dressed in casual clothes, came out of the cabin. He jumped into the air and mischievously sat down next to her. The boat rocked, and Shanghai Wan'er cried out and hurriedly leaned against the side of the boat. Once the boat stabilized, she rebuked him with a fist.
Yang Fan smiled. "How is it? Suddenly leaving the Imperial Court and no longer wielding that imperial brush you used to rule the world, are you used to it?"
Shanghai Wan'er took a deep breath of the fresh and free wind and cheerfully said, "This is the life I want. In Luoyang, it was only when I accompanied Empress Zetian to perch at the Dragon Gate that I occasionally had the chance to wander alone in the forest and enjoy a few moments of freedom. "
As she said this, she became a little sad. She gently leaned her head on Yang Fan's shoulder and stared at the blue lake in front of her. She softly said, "I was chained to the palace since I was born. It was like walking on thin ice or facing an abyss.
When I grew up, I suffered from lovesickness. I missed my mother, my husband, and my daughter. It was rare to see them, and I couldn't live in peace. Until today, I finally have my freedom. Langjun, I … I like this kind of life very much. "
Yang Fan couldn't help but hug her tightly. He bathed in the warm sunshine with her, and his body and mind were warm. After a while, Yang Fan said, "Good! Then from now on, I will accompany you to travel around the world! "
Wan'er looked back happily and smiled. "Really? If you are willing to stay in the Imperial Court, you will definitely get a great achievement. Are you willing to give it up? "
Yang Fan blushed and said, "I have already given up!"
Wan'er pursed her lips and smiled. "That can only happen when the world is at peace. I heard that in the morning court today, there were palace servants and eunuchs who wanted to make Young Emperor Li Zhongmao's mother empress dowager and assist him from behind the curtains. Is there going to be another incident? "
Yang Fan smiled and patted her back. "Ah, you've just left the Imperial Court, and you're already too lazy to think about politics. Do a bunch of palace servants and eunuchs have such guts? This is just one of San Lang's tricks. "
Yang Fan stretched his back and said, "Li San Lang's move forced the Young Emperor to immediately rebuke the suggestions and confess his innocence, thoroughly destroying the fantasies of some of the foreign officials. Moreover, he also borrowed the Young Emperor's hand to dismiss the subordinates of the princesses. With the exception of Taiping, all the princesses' government offices have been abolished."
Wan 'er's eyes flickered. She happily said, "This man is smart. He is extraordinary."
Yang Fan agreed. "And he is decisive in killing, resolute, and unyielding. The Prince of Xiang's sons are not just a little stronger than the sons of the previous Emperor."
… …
Li Longji rode out of Princess Taiping's estate in high spirits.
Li Longji and his subordinates discussed the matter. They all felt that they should strike while the iron was hot and directly support the Prince of Xiang as emperor. But the Prince of Xiang was already indifferent to fame and wealth, and even hated it. It would not be easy to persuade him.
If there was anyone in the world who could persuade the Prince of Xiang to change his mind, it was Princess Taiping. So Li Longji once more visited Princess Taiping and obtained his aunt's promise. When he left the estate, Li Longji was filled with joy.
"Stop! Who's there! "
Chang 'an had just experienced a period of turmoil and could not be considered peaceful. Thus, Li Longji had brought quite a few bodyguards with him to visit Princess Taiping. Although they could not compare to the imperial patrol, the bodyguards were still like wolves and tigers.
Unexpectedly, just as they left Princess Taiping's house, a person suddenly rushed out of the gate. The bodyguards paled in fright, thinking that it was an assassin. They immediately unsheathed their swords and spears.
"Don't attack! Don't attack! Royal Prince, Royal Prince, I'm Maozhong, I'm Maozhong! "
Li Longji did not panic. He reined in his horse, but when he suddenly heard that person's shout, Li Longji couldn't help but raise his brow and yell, "Bring him over!"
The bodyguards parted to the left and right, opening a path. The person who had been stopped immediately ran to Li Longji's horse, his face wreathed in smiles. "Royal Prince!"
Li Longji had heard the voice just now and knew that it was Wang Maozhong. Now, he saw that this person was dressed like a traveling merchant and had a pouch slung over his shoulder. Although his appearance was rather disheveled, wasn't it Wang Maozhong?
Li Longji's thick brows shot up as he angrily said, "Bastard thing, you still dare to come back!"
Wang Maozhong dropped to his knees and cried bitterly as he kowtowed. "Royal Prince, forgive me, Royal Prince, forgive me! This lowly one has always been timid, and it's not like Royal Prince doesn't know this. This lowly one has always had this problem, a rat's gall. But this lowly one has always been loyal to Royal Prince."
Li Longji angrily scolded, "Since you've already left, why did you come back?"
Wang Maozhong kowtowed as if he was pounding garlic. "Royal Prince, please understand, this lowly one … this lowly one is as timid as a rat. That day, when I saw that Zhong Shaojing refused to open the door, I was so scared that my courage broke. I didn't know what to think, but I just ran away in a panic.
But … but this lowly one has served Royal Prince since I was young and never thought of leaving Royal Prince. After I left, this lowly one also knew that I had done something wrong and didn't dare to go back to see Royal Prince. I also didn't know where to go, Royal Prince ah … "
Wang Maozhong's snot and tears flowed down his face, making Li Longji feel both angry and amused. He was also well aware of Wang Maozhong's timid nature. Now that he was crying so sorrowfully and had obediently confessed to running away out of fear, Li Longji couldn't help but soften his heart.
Wang Maozhong had been his companion since childhood, and Li Longji was also a person who valued friendship and righteousness. Thinking about how they had interacted with each other since childhood, especially when he had accompanied his father in being placed under house arrest in the Eastern Palace, he had suffered with him. Thinking about how "Empress Wei's peaceful death of the late Emperor" was his good idea …
Li Longji exhaled heavily and raised his horsewhip to fiercely whip him, causing Wang Maozhong to quiver. Li Longji scolded, "Get up, are you trying to embarrass me on the street? I'll deal with you when we get back! "
When Wang Maozhong heard this, he was overjoyed. He knew that the Royal Prince had forgiven him. He hurriedly kowtowed three more times and crawled up, saying, "This lowly one is not worthy of Royal Prince's great use. I'm just a lowly person who leads the horse and follows the horse. As long as I can serve Royal Prince, I'll be happy."
Li Longji snorted and laughingly scolded, "What a bootlicker!" He then whipped the horse and galloped away. Wang Maozhong hurriedly spread his legs and happily chased after the horse's butt.
… …
Mount Zhongnan, Lu family's villa.
Shen Mu slowly walked in with his hands behind his back. After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he slowly walked out again.
Lan Jinhai went up to greet him, saying, "Sect Leader."
Shen Mu shook his head, saying, "The room is empty! This kid, he's quick to act! "
Lan Jinhai said, "Should we send out scouts to scout around?"
Shen Mu waved his hand, saying, "Since he has already considered failure, he must have a way out. If we send people to chase now, how can they catch up? Also, Empress Wei has just been executed, and the scouts from the court are out. We should not cause trouble now and attract the court's attention. "
He rubbed his chin and thought for a moment, saying, "This time, his forces have all been lured out and captured in one fell swoop. He's the only one left. Even if he escapes, can he do any harm?"
Shen Mu snapped his fingers and confidently said, "This time, we've killed quite a lot. Let's go and find Yang Fan to split the loot!"
The mountains were connected, the peaks were connected, the valleys were deep and cliffs were precipitous. The mountains were high and the roads were narrow. Lu Binzhi guarded the pass alone, wearing a green robe and bamboo hat. He stood on the majestic city gate tower at Tong Pass, looking in the direction of the ancient city of Chang 'an. The wind fluttered his clothes, making him want to ride the wind.
Ding Yue stood at the side, looking at him worriedly.
Lu Binzhi gazed for a long time, his eyes flashing with a trace of ruthlessness, saying, "Chang 'an! Shen Mu! Yang Fan! One day, I will return! "
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