Chapter 390: Hedong Affairs (Part )
The Palace of Prince Jin.

It was late June and Taiyuan was becoming hot. Fortunately, the palace was spacious and the heat did not stay in it for long. Moreover, this palace, which was built in the early Sui and Tang dynasties, was cleverly designed. There was a breeze when walking under the corridor.

Lu Linxuan was very angry. She clenched her hands into fists. Her luxurious and long skirt dragged on the ground as she walked quickly. The two palace maids following behind her also hurriedly followed and wanted to pick up the long skirt, but Lu Linxuan suddenly raised her eyebrows and turned back: “Stop following me, okay!”

The two palace maids acted as if they were at a loss, but they did not stop and continued to follow closely behind, obviously not taking Lu Linxuan’s scolding seriously.

Lu Linxuan became even angrier and walked faster. He turned the corridor, pushed open the door and rushed in. The two palace maids behind him wanted to follow, but the door was slammed shut, causing the two of them to almost bump into each other. So they gave up and just waited outside the palace.

“Everyone get out! Everyone get out!”

There were sounds of stringed and bamboo music in the hall, and several dancers were tiptoeing and spinning barefoot on the carpet. Lu Linxuan became even more furious when he saw this. He walked aside, snatched the instruments of several other musicians, and smashed them all on the spot.

The dancers stopped in confusion, and the musicians were shocked and angry, but did not dare to attack. They just stepped aside and bowed to show their innocence.

At the back of the hall, Li Xingyun, who was holding a flute, stood up blankly and laughed dryly: “Junior sister, what are you doing…?”

“Get out! Didn’t you hear me?” Seeing that the dancers and musicians had not yet left, Lu Linxuan’s voice trembled with anger: “All of you get out!”

“Go, go, go, everyone get out.” Li Xingyun panicked and waved his hand hurriedly to drive people away. The dancers and musicians who were having fun just now didn’t dare to get angry, so they quickly bowed and left one after another.

Li Xingyun personally walked over and closed the door. After watching the dancers and musicians leave, he showed a look of deep sorrow on his face. Then he frowned and waved to the two palace maids who had just followed Lu Linxuan. He lowered his voice and said, “You should go down first…”

The two palace maids looked hesitant, but when they saw Li Xingyun frowning, they did not insist too much and immediately bowed and left.

Li Xingyun once again quickly glanced outside, then closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief: “Junior sister, not bad, you acted well…”

However, just as he turned around with a relaxed smile, he saw that Lu Linxuan still had his back to him. Li Xingyun scratched his forehead and walked over carefully: “Junior sister?”

Seeing that Lu Linxuan still didn’t respond, Li Xingyun really panicked and hurried over, but his voice was involuntarily lowered: “What’s wrong? Was he bullied? Tell me, I will have someone drag him down and give him twenty lashes! No, a hundred lashes! Damn it, I still have this little power.”

“Hmph.” When he frantically straightened Lu Linxuan’s body, he found that the girl was just glaring at him: “Li Xingyun, you really seem to be enjoying it! The way you looked at those dancers just now didn’t look fake!”

“Hey, that’s not true…” Li Xingyun laughed dryly, then listened to the noise outside, and said, “Okay, everyone has left, no need to continue.”

“Who is acting with you!” Lu Linxuan was very angry.

“Shhhhh…” Li Xingyun pressed his hands down, “Just acting for the occasion, just acting for the occasion, do you understand? If I don’t take it seriously, how could these people think that I have been indulged in the land of tenderness… Okay, okay, don’t worry about it, where are the things I asked you to prepare?”

Lu Linxuan glared at him fiercely, then took off the wide skirt outside, revealing the two palace maid costumes underneath. Fortunately, she had a slim and well-proportioned figure, and the wide skirt covered it, so nothing looked unusual.

“Why are they all women’s clothes?” Li Xingyun was dumbfounded.

Lu Linxuan felt a little embarrassed at this time, sticking out his tongue and saying, “The only people who are watching and following me are the palace maids. How can I steal the eunuch’s clothes for you?”

“Damn it…” Li Xingyun gritted his teeth and said, “A woman is fine. As long as I can escape from this damn place, I’ll accept it!”

He asked Lu Linxuan to stand guard at the door and observe what was going on outside while he quickly changed his clothes. At the same time, he kept cursing, “Yuan Tiangang, I really want to fuck your mother. If I hadn’t believed your lies, I wouldn’t have come to Taiyuan. But you left me here for two months without showing up. I’m here, and I can be seen everywhere. But you still don’t allow me to leave the palace, saying that there might be spies from the Xuanming Sect. The Xuanming Sect is what I want to find the most! Whoever wants to be the King of Wei can do it!”

Lu Linxuan was speechless, turned around and whispered: “Brother, can you please not be so rude when you speak?”

Li Xingyun had already changed his clothes, and he was annoyed again: “Does it mean that if I wear women’s clothes, I have to become a woman too?”

Lu Linxuan saw his appearance clearly and couldn’t help but chuckle, then covered his mouth and laughed: “Well, I didn’t expect that you really have a good figure, if you dress up a little more, maybe you can make many men crazy about you.”

“Bah bah bah…”

Li Xingyun thought about the scene and felt a chill all over his body. He lay down at the door of the palace and looked around. After confirming that there was indeed no one outside, he opened the door and walked out. It was a pity that the palace maid’s clothes were a little restrictive on him, making him look quite shy.

Lu Linxuan stopped joking at this time and whispered, “Brother, is it possible?”

“No problem.” Li Xingyun didn’t even turn his head. His eyes kept scanning the surroundings. He said, “In front of here, their surveillance is not strict. If we were in the bedroom, it would be difficult to walk because our luggage and belongings are all there. And we have performed it so many times. They are afraid that you will hit people, so they usually hide far away and dare not come back for half an hour.”

“It was you who asked me to beat them…” Lu Linxuan was a little embarrassed, but because he was sneaking away, he was too nervous to say too much. He followed Li Xingyun closely and moved between the palaces.

Li Xingyun had obviously made sufficient preparations. He was familiar with several remote paths in the Prince Jin Palace. With his keen perception, he was able to avoid some patrolling palace sentries in time. The two of them walked faster and faster and gradually left the main building complex.

…………

When Li Xingyun and the other person appeared again, they were already outside Taiyuan City. Li Xingyun stole two sets of ordinary people’s clothes to replace the two people’s palace maid costumes, and then turned south with Lu Linxuan.

“Brother, aren’t we going to Gaya Temple?”

Since the two of them only had a small amount of money to buy food for the journey, they had no extra money to buy horses. They didn’t even have any passes on them, and they were worried that someone would catch up with them, so they didn’t dare to delay for a moment. They took the small path and walked for more than ten miles in one breath. They didn’t rest until Lu Linxuan was a little out of breath.

“Don’t go.”

Because they had not yet left Taiyuan’s jurisdiction, Li Xingyun did not dare to delay for too long, so he simply carried Lu Linxuan on his back and hurried on, explaining, “Hui Jue, the bald donkey, is in cahoots with Yuan Tiangang. It would be a waste of effort to go to Gaya Temple… Let’s go straight to Bianliang.”

He gritted his teeth and said, “After I go to Bianliang, if I still can’t find Master’s whereabouts, I will go straight to find that Xiao Yan. I don’t believe that I can’t get Master back by catching him!”

Lu Linxuan was a little worried, but he didn’t say it out loud in the end. The two of them then trekked on foot, getting farther and farther away.

…………

The three members of the Shang group, who were wrapped in tight clothes, scattered and controlled the entire side hall. Li Cunren strode in, looked around, and then lifted up the luxurious robe in the corner with the tip of the knife. He felt the veins on his forehead throbbing.

“Did he leave on his own…”

Li Keyong pushed his wheelchair in and muttered to himself.

Li Cunren looked ashamed and knelt on one knee to apologize: “I will take people to chase them back now.”

The three members of the Shang organization also knelt down in several locations in the hall.

“Forget it.” Li Keyong waved his hand indifferently: “It was me who didn’t want to use the people from the Tongwenguan, and I let your people go out. The Jin Palace is lax in control, which is understandable. I’m just curious, it seems that His Highness really came up with this idea on his own…” Li Cunren didn’t understand for a moment, and still blamed himself: “Now that Li Xingyun has escaped, my godfather can’t use him to hold the bad commander hostage. What if the bad commander…”

As she spoke, she clasped her fists and said, “They can’t run far. I will personally lead people to look for them immediately. We will definitely be able to capture Li Xingyun.”

“No need to waste your time.” Li Keyong shook his head indifferently and walked out in his wheelchair. “Two months ago, I would have been willing to honor Li Xingyun as His Highness. But now that Zhu Wen has abdicated, why should I bother with him? There are only a few heroes in the world who are willing to honor Li Tang. As for that bad commander… humph, there is probably nothing in this world that can make him feel uneasy. But the fact that Li Xingyun left without permission really surprised me.”

Li Cunren finally reacted at this time, followed him, and whispered: “Foster father, what you mean is that Li Xingyun and that bad commander are not of the same mind?”

Li Keyong’s eyes were somewhat amused, and he simply said, “It’s just a small matter, no need to make it public. Kill those useless people who failed to take good care of the place.”

“Here.”

“By the way.” Li Keyong tapped the wheelchair armrest: “Is the third brother back?”

The third brother mentioned by Li Keyong was naturally Li Sizhao, the second sage of Tongwenguan. Li Cunren responded, “The third brother has indeed been summoned back to Taiyuan, but he heard that the eldest brother was injured in Hebei, so he went to Tongwenguan to see the eldest brother as soon as possible.”

“The eldest brother is usually quiet, but he has a group of loyal dogs.” Li Keyong sneered, but his voice did not show much emotion: “Has the sixth brother been honest recently?”

“Sixth Brother has always been close to Big Brother, but according to the information Shang obtained, Sixth Brother probably hasn’t told Big Brother about Bago yet.”

“Old Six has always been a smart guy…”

Li Keyong held his chin up and thought for a while with some interest: “Write an imperial edict, ordering Li Cunli to leave for Luzhou and serve as the deputy commander of the southern camp and the defense commander of Luzhou. Order Zhou Dewei, the commander of the southern camp, to leave for Jinzhou immediately and serve as the commander of the western army, ready to defend Taiyuan at any time… The latter part, Ling Shang will deliver the imperial edict in person, and only tell Zhou Dewei.”

After he finished speaking, he sighed to himself, “It’s time for the world to be handed over to the young people.”

Li Cunren felt a chill in his heart.

Zhou Dewei, a veteran general of the Jin State, was deployed in the southern camp. His status was equivalent to that of Yang Shihou of the Liang Dynasty. In recent years, he had been in charge of the troops in Luzhou defending against the Liang Dynasty. His influence on the southern camp was considerable. Although Li Cunli was transferred to Luzhou this time, it seemed that a large amount of military power was shared with the Tongwenguan, but Li Cunli decisively ordered not to move the troops in Luzhou in a short period of time.

It is worth mentioning that Zhou Dewei, like many other generals in the army, has always been a die-hard supporter of the crown prince, and he has given Li Cunxu his unconditional support. It was because of Zhou Dewei that Li Keyong was even wary of Li Cunxu, and even became wary of Zhou Dewei, and once thought of removing Zhou Dewei’s military power to prevent these generals from putting a dragon robe on the crown prince and forcing him, the old King of Jin, to abdicate.

But now the situation has suddenly reversed because of Bago’s letter.

Li Cunli went to Luzhou, but he was only the commander in chief on paper, but he actually helped Li Siyuan. Moreover, Li Cunli had always been cautious and prudent, so he should have known the situation at the critical moment.

However, the Western Army led by Zhou Dewei to guard against the State of Qi was actually intended to protect Taiyuan.

what for?

Crown Prince Li Cunxu is leading the Eastern Army in Yunzhou. Although peace talks have been held with Mobei a month ago, the Eastern Army cannot return for the time being. Therefore, Taiyuan does not seem to have much absolute power to check and balance the Tongwenguan.

Is my foster father planning to…pave the way for the Crown Prince and clean up the government?
Li Cunren did not ask any more questions, but just took the order and left in a hurry.

Li Keyong was sitting alone in a wheelchair in the corridor, gazing into the distance at the horizon. After a long time, he just sneered inexplicably.

“My king, I have tolerated you for a long time.”

——

North of Yunzhou, outside the Yinshan Mountains.

In the big tent, Shuliduo sat on the upper seat, sipping milk tea slowly while saying calmly, “I heard that the famous general Yang Shihou of the Liang Dynasty has been defeated by Xiao Yanping, and Xiao Yan has obtained tens of thousands of soldiers and horses. What does the Holy Lord think of this?”

On the left side of the big tent, Shi Jingtang, who was dressed in Mobei military uniform, felt a shock in his heart, but he remained calm and just looked at his father-in-law.

Li Siyuan’s voice said: “Even if Xiao Yan has 100,000 soldiers, what does it have to do with the Queen Mother?”

“How dare you!” Shili Qixiang, who was standing behind Shuliduo, was furious and held his sword, saying, “Li Siyuan, you said you would offer the Yinshan tribes to Mobei, but there is no sign of that yet. The Queen Mother has already shown her kindness by allowing you to stay for a month. How dare you be so presumptuous?”

Shi Jingtang stood up and said with an apologetic smile: “General Shili, please calm down. The tribes of Yinshan Mountain are related to the relatives of our King Jin. If we cede them to Mobei now, the court will inevitably be in an uproar. We need to wait, we need to wait.”

Shuliduo’s face was indifferent. She put down the cup and looked at Li Siyuan: “Am I going to wait here for you?”

Li Siyuan said casually, “No need. Your Majesty, please wait a few days and we will send you a conclusion. We will also send you 30,000 shi of grain. It is just a small token of our sincerity. Please accept it.”

Serikika snorted, obviously thinking that was just about right.

Shuliduo was unmoved, but just said: “Five days, if there is no conclusion after five days, not only will I return to Mobei immediately, but I will also bring your heads back to the Mobei royal court.”

Shi Jingtang laughed dryly, obviously not knowing how to ease the atmosphere, but Li Siyuan could still laugh: “Yang Shihou was defeated and captured, and the Liang Dynasty finally became the only one under Xiao Yan’s family. Has the Queen Mother changed her mind again and is reluctant to leave Xiao Yan’s boat?”

“So what?” Shuliduo played with the teacup with a faint smile on her face. “Once Yang Shihou is defeated, according to Xiao Yan’s personality, he will definitely attack Shu, which has been stroking his tiger beard. Xiao Yan is good at fighting. If he really suddenly takes over Shu, what can you, Jin, use to fight him? I will not continue to play with you just for the illusory Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.”

Li Siyuan laughed loudly, twisting his mustache and sneering: “The Queen Mother thinks too highly of Xiao Yan… The Queen Mother has never been to Sichuan, let alone Shu. Hanzhong is just a cave leading to hell. Shu is not the former Hebei. It has no shortage of heavy troops and famous generals. If Xiao Yan is really so courageous, the Queen Mother should be worried. I hope Xiao Yan will not suffer a big loss in Hanzhong. Otherwise, all the previous efforts will be wasted and the whole game will be lost.”

Shi Jingtang saw that Shuliduo’s expression was a little unhappy, and his heart skipped a beat. He didn’t know why this queen mother on the grassland had no emotions just now, but became murderous because of these words that belittled Xiao Yan. He hurriedly spoke to make amends, but he actually said something good for Xiao Yan: “The King of Song in the Liang Dynasty can be called a famous general. Even if there is danger, he may be able to escape unscathed.”

“Those who always win may not be able to bear a defeat.” Li Siyuan didn’t care and laughed.

Shuliduo thought for a while in silence, then nodded: “Five days. After five days, I will only want Yinshan. Otherwise, please give me your head in exchange.”

After saying this, she left the table without giving Li Siyuan any chance to reply.

Shi Jingtang looked a little worried and looked at Li Siyuan: “Master Taishan… this… oh!”

“What are you afraid of?”

Li Siyuan smiled and pointed to his head: “She hasn’t had the chance to take my head yet.”

As he spoke, he cast his eyes on a map hanging above, and stopped at the words “Yanmen”. He sneered, “Someone will help us solve the problem.”

(End of this chapter)