r18novel Page 260
Page 260
Yang Taisui was an old monk in black robes, with extensive knowledge and a thorough understanding of the classics of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism.
Yang Taisui offered advice and Xu Xiao swept across the land; the two were Zhao Li's right-hand men.
The three of them often went up to the Baohe Hall in Tai'an City together to talk about world affairs and drink heavily while lying down.
With the world now unified, Xu Xiao immediately left the capital, and the three of them had another hearty drinking session.
"Monk, butcher, we have finally unified the world!"
"From now on, the only enemy in the world will be the Northern Barbarians!"
"Within ten years, we will prepare our troops, storm the Northern Emperor City, and capture Empress Murong alive!"
Yang Taisui slurred, "If the butcher had been a little tougher back then, Empress Murong would have been beheaded long ago."
Three years ago, because of Xu Xiao's growing power, some people in the court plotted the White Robe Case.
Yang Taisui was one of the masterminds and almost killed Princess Wu Su.
Although Xu Xiao didn't say anything on the surface, he held a grudge in his heart.
"You damned monk, what do you know!"
"If it were that easy to take her down, she wouldn't have become Empress Murong."
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will keep an eye on the north for you and share your burdens!"
Zhao Li said, "Very well, I need you to share my burdens."
"There is one thing I need your help with right now!"
"I know my destiny, and of the three of us, I am afraid I will be the first to go."
"Butcher, I have found you a son-in-law! Prince Li Chang'an of Tang!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Xiao was instantly stunned. "How can a tiger's daughter marry a dog's son!"
"How could my daughter, Xu Xiao's daughter, marry into the Hong family, a slave of a fallen nation!"
Zhao Li slowly said, "We were just saying that the world is now unified, and the eight kingdoms of the Spring and Autumn period are all my subjects."
"The Hong family has surrendered to the Celestial Dynasty, so they are meritorious. Moreover, the Prince of Tang is a title bestowed by me!"
After Zhao Li said that, Xu Xiao couldn't refuse anymore.
He can look down on Li Chang'an, but he cannot look down on Wang Jue.
Zhao Li took Xu Xiao's hand, looking as if he were speaking frankly to him.
"I won't live for many more years, so your daughter will be my daughter."
"I will arrange your daughter's marriage with the honors due to a princess!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Xiao immediately perked up.
"What do you mean? You want Li Chang'an to be my daughter's husband?"
"If a prince becomes a prince consort, then what's the point of his title of Prince of Tang being hereditary...?"
At this point, Xu Xiao also understood, "Which old fox came up with this terrible idea?"
"You're so concerned with saving face, keeping the Tang Emperor around to maintain appearances, but making me clean up your mess?"
Seeing that Xu Xiao understood, Zhao Li continued, "I can't leave trouble for future generations with the things I've done."
After thinking it over carefully, Xu Xiao realized that having a prince as a son-in-law didn't seem so bad.
My daughter is still young, and there are many uncertainties ahead.
Zhao Li meant that it was an imperial edict, and discussing it with him was already giving him a lot of face.
If an imperial edict were issued directly, such a great favor would be impossible to refuse.
"You are His Majesty, I will obey you."
half a month later.
Li Chang'an, who had already prepared to flee, received an imperial edict from the Li Yang Dynasty granting him the title of hereditary noble.
Cao Zhengchun angrily said, "This dog emperor actually wants to change His Highness's surname."
This was precisely where Li Chang'an was both amused and exasperated; logically speaking, this was quite insulting.
However, Li Chang'an had no desire to be surnamed Hong.
Especially after the Hong family emperor did such a shameless thing, Li Chang'an didn't want to be surnamed Hong for even a day longer.
Changing his surname back to Li was the first thing Li Chang'an did after leaving the palace.
Although Li Chang'an was in the cycle of reincarnation, he had no desire to be a slave to the common people.
"Old Cao, I think the surname Li is very good."
Cao Zhengchun paused, thinking of Gu Dazu's words that had spread throughout the world.
People all over the world are ashamed to have the surname Hong!
"Sigh... If Your Highness thinks it's a good idea, then let's make it Li."
"What does Your Highness plan to do next? Will you become the King of Tang, or will you become a fugitive?"
If he tries to escape, he will become a wanted criminal in Liyang from now on, and he will never have a peaceful life anywhere.
Of course, with the system and his own skills, it's not impossible for him to develop in seclusion.
However, it wouldn't be easy for Li Chang'an to hide his influence if he wanted to enhance it across five dimensions.
In the long run, Zhao Li doesn't have many years left to live.
The open and covert struggle between Beiliang and Liyang is about to begin. In a place like Yongzhou, although it is a place of constant warfare, it is also convenient to take advantage of the situation.
Unless the situation is particularly critical, Li Chang'an is not inclined to hide and develop his power.
"Old Cao, let's go somewhere else, a brothel, and enjoy music, like carefree princes!"
Li Chang'an, accompanied by his servants, set off for Yongzhou to become the King of Tang.
Most of the Imperial Guards followed Li Chang'an north.
However, Li Chang'an did not force those who were attached to their homeland to stay and gather intelligence on the spot, and to plan for the restoration of their country.
Four years later, Emperor Zhao Li of Liyang passed away.
The second prince, Zhao Chun, took Yuan Benxi as his teacher and won the struggle for the throne against Prince Jing'an, Zhao Heng, becoming the new emperor of the Liyang Dynasty.
Zhao Li and Xu Xiao are close brothers, their friendship remains, and their conflicts can still be concealed.
When Zhao Chun ascended the throne, he became increasingly uneasy about the growing power of this king from a different surname.
Therefore, after the one-year mourning period ended, Zhao Chun officially signaled the reduction of the power of the princes.
With each of the seven vassal kings of the Li Yang Dynasty harboring their own ambitions, the already unstable Li Yang realm is once again on the verge of turmoil.
Lingzhou, Qingliang Mountain, the Northern Liang Royal Palace.
Fifteen-year-old Xu Fengnian barged into Xu Xiao's study with a carefree attitude.
Xu Fengnian was born to Wu Su, the former wife of the Northern Liang King. He is Xu Xiao's eldest son and the heir of the Northern Liang King's Mansion.
Wu Su was seriously injured in the White Clothes Case and died a few years later.
Xu Fengnian was furious that Xu Xiao pretended to be a turtle and didn't avenge his mother, so he harbored resentment towards him.
Xu Xiao felt guilty towards Xu Fengnian because of this incident, so he continued to indulge Xu Fengnian's纨绔 (spoiled brat) ways.
At the same time, in order to reduce the hostility of the Li Yang court, Xu Fengnian was also deliberately pretending to be a playboy.
Therefore, Xu Fengnian is now a well-known playboy in the Li Yang Dynasty.
"Xu Xiao! Xu Xiao!"
"Was my second sister's wedding called off?"
Upon hearing that Xu Fengnian had arrived, Xu Xiao's face broke into a wide smile.
"The Year of the Phoenix has arrived. Since His Majesty ascended the throne, I have already submitted eight memorials."
"But His Majesty always says that the late Emperor's will cannot be changed!"
Xu Fengnian persisted, "Then why did you agree in the first place!"
"Li Chang'an is a slave of a conquered nation, what right does he have to marry my second sister!"
"I asked Lu Qiu'er, and the Fushui Society investigated Li Chang'an. He's just a good-for-nothing playboy who's good for neither literature nor martial arts!"
Xu Xiao said, "Feng Nian, don't people say you're a spoiled brat?"
Xu Fengnian crossed his arms and said, "Can he compare to me, the young master!"
"Don't you even know who my father is, and who his father is!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Xiao puffed out his chest, looking smug.
Xu Fengnian continued, "I don't think we can rely on you for this. Let Second Sister cancel the engagement and have both sides sign a cancellation agreement."
"With a contract in place, you can submit your petition. Surely the emperor will agree by then."
Xu Xiao thought for a moment, then muttered, "Hard to say!"