Chapter 100: Deposed Emperor? No, I am Xiao Yan
In the Jiaolan Hall, palace maids held small fans and gently fanned the incense burner to let the incense diffuse and spread throughout the hall.

Jing Xiang was over 40 years old, with an extraordinary figure, a straight back, and dressed in a purple robe, but he looked more upright and strong than he did that night two months ago. On his slightly thin face, his eyes only looked at Xiao Yan indifferently, but there was a sense of scrutiny.

From his perspective, he did feel a sense of familiarity with the latter, but when he thought about it carefully, he was not quite sure.

However, he only needed one trick to find out.

In the hall, Xiao Yan was also thinking, and remembered what Jing Xiang had said when he held him hostage two months ago.

"I am good at judging people."

At the head of the palace, Zhu Wenxu narrowed his tiger eyes, but because of the excessive fat on his face, his eyes almost became a slit, but there was still a sense of intimidation.

In a moment, without his command, the sound of armor plates colliding was heard outside the hall. Dozens of imperial guards in distinctive armor gathered outside, and it seemed that they would rush into the hall and capture Xiao Yan in the next moment.

At the same time, Xiao Yan could also sense two vague murderous intentions in the hall.

A mechanical voice sounded in my head.

"Two potential enemies have been detected for the host. The kill rate for a single opponent is 89%. The kill rate for the two targets working together is 80%."

Zhu Wen still cherishes his life.

However, Xiao Yan remained calm and did not avoid Jing Xiang's gaze. He just crossed his arms and saluted meticulously, saying, "Forgive me for my impoliteness. I wonder if this envoy is..."

"This is Lord Jing, the Minister of Chongzhengyuan, the Inspector of Sikong, and the Co-Prime Minister." A eunuch beside him introduced in a low voice.

Xiao Yan bowed to Jing Xiang again, and then faced Zhu Wen calmly.

"Your Majesty, I have committed a crime. I hope Your Majesty can punish me."

Seeing that he did not reply, but suddenly confessed his guilt for no reason, the latter was indeed aroused a little, and said roughly: "Oh? This is the first time I see you, what crime have you committed?"

"The crime of deceiving the emperor."

"What do you mean?" Zhu Wen narrowed his eyes again.

Xiao Yan crossed his hands and bowed his head, then as if he had been thinking for a long time, he suddenly reached his hand to his jaw and slowly tore off a piece of human skin.

On the side, Jing Xiang was still calm and composed, but when he saw a face that was both familiar and somewhat unfamiliar to him slowly emerging from under the human skin, his expression suddenly changed.

On the throne, Zhu Wen suddenly opened his tiger eyes wide and shot his gaze at Xiao Yan like lightning.

In his life, he had killed too many people directly or indirectly. He basically didn't care about anyone's life or death, and he never believed in those fictitious ghost stories. After all, the Xuanming Sect, the largest gathering place for ghosts in the world, was raised by him.

Only now, Zhu Wen suddenly felt a chill on his back, and felt a little terrified.

He had seen Li Yu's head with his own eyes in Luoyang a month ago, and had specially asked a coroner to examine it, and there was clearly no problem at all.

Are there really evil ghosts in this world?

Fortunately, Xiao Yan saluted again with his hands crossed, leaning forward: "I, a humble commoner, have deceived the emperor, even though I dare not show my true face to him..."

It was not until he heard his voice that the chill on Zhu Wen's back disappeared. Then, he stared at the figure leaning down not far away, supporting the imperial desk with both hands, and his whole body was instantly filled with murderous aura.

"Your Majesty." Just at this moment, Jing Xiang reminded him, "Why not let this young man Xiao raise his head so that Your Majesty can take a closer look."

Zhu Wen's face was gloomy. "Raise your head!"

Xiao Yan stood up and still saluted with his arms crossed, but his face was calm.

But he could sense that the imperial guards behind him seemed to be ready to make a move.

The emperor and his minister looked at him again, and then Zhu Wen called Jing Xiang to the throne.

"Your Majesty, that shouldn't be the case." The latter lowered his voice and whispered, "He looks much older, older, taller, and stronger. If you look closely, it seems that they don't look exactly the same..."

Zhu Wen actually didn't believe that the person in front of him was Li Yu at this time, because Xiao Yan looked too calm and steady, and if he looked closely, his face did seem to be somewhat different from Li Yu. The closer he looked, the less he knew they were alike.

If he was really that loser, he would have collapsed to the ground with tears streaming down his face under his shock just now.

But even so, he still harbored murderous intent.

"Why do you show me a mask? Also, why do you have this face?!"

Xiao Yan immediately responded: "Your Majesty, it is precisely because of this face that I dare not show my true face to the emperor. And I have this face because I am the substitute of the deposed emperor..."

"Substitute?" Zhu Wen's fat face shook and his eyes narrowed.

But compared to him, Jing Xiang was much calmer, stroking his beard thoughtfully.

Xiao Yan pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "As a bad guy, I was accidentally discovered to look like the deposed emperor a few years ago, so I have been used as a substitute. The plan was to replace the deposed emperor in times of crisis. But before the plan could be implemented, I heard that the deposed emperor died at the hands of Li Keyong in Hedong..."

Seeing that what he said was true, Zhu Wen pulled his beard and believed it 70%. But he did not ask anything else, just said in a deep voice: "Zhu Youzhen, have you ever seen you like this?"

"Prince Jun has never seen it before." Xiao Yan pondered for a moment and said, "I did not show my true face this time because I was afraid that Your Majesty would be frightened, so I did this to deceive the king. But I never thought that the Prime Minister had a unique eye and could see through my true appearance at a glance."

Jing Xiang thought about it carefully, and now thought that this might be the reason why he sensed a sense of familiarity from Xiao Yan.

However, he still felt a little strange.

But he did not say anything more, but nodded to Zhu Wen and said: "Now that I have seen it, it has indeed resolved the doubts in my mind."

The latter stared at Xiao Yan and suddenly laughed coldly: "You are so loyal to the Tang Dynasty, why do you want to serve me in Daliang now? Do you really think I can't see through your tricks?"

"It's not loyalty to the Tang Dynasty."

Xiao Yan said solemnly, "When the Bad People were first established, they were loyal to the emperor. Now that the deposed emperor is in trouble, the orthodox in the Central Plains is your majesty. This action of mine is not only to show my loyalty to the deposed emperor and fight against the Jin Dynasty, but also to follow the will of heaven and serve the orthodox emperor."

"What did you say!?"

Zhu Wen was still thinking about how to deal with this person, but now he was stunned and subconsciously half leaned forward.

Xiao Yan crossed his hands and saluted, saying in a serious tone: "People like Li Keyong and Li Maozhen are unjustly called Tang officials, but in fact they are all traitors who do not know the way of heaven. In this world, only Your Majesty is the legitimate emperor of the Central Plains. The rest are all traitors!"

"The world has been in chaos and division for a long time. I am willing to serve the emperor with my bad body and help the country unify."

Jing Xiang paused as he stroked his beard.

He had served Zhu Wen since the Huang Chao Rebellion, and it had been more than 20 years. During this period, he often accompanied Zhu Wen in his expeditions, and was in and out of the tent, taking care of all the affairs, but he was never suspected by Zhu Wen. This was because he was very good at guessing the latter's mind, and his every word and action could tickle Zhu Wen's heart, so Zhu Wen would consult him on all military and political strategies.

At this moment, Xiao Yan's few words have definitely won the favor of His Majesty.

Sure enough, Zhu Wen laughed out loud upon hearing this, completely ignoring his emotions and not showing any emotion on his face.

Son, this is what I meant.

He is the only emperor in this world. He is happy when he is happy and angry when he is angry. Who can restrain him?
"You really know how to handle current affairs," Zhu Wen sat back on the throne, stroking his protruding belly, and then waved his hand, and the imperial guards outside the palace gate retreated instantly.

In the hall, Xiao Yanyi was still in the gesture of crossing his arms to salute. He was young to begin with, and at this moment, his face was still determined, just like a young man who had just entered the martial arts world, stubborn and stubborn.

But Zhu Wen liked people who seemed easy to control the most.

Moreover, he had worked for the Tang Dynasty and was a very powerful bad guy in the rumors. If he sincerely surrendered, it would be a good thing... Thinking of this, he asked casually: "Jingqing, what do you think?"

Jing Xiang knew that Zhu Wen had made up his mind, so he thought for a moment and said, "I once boasted that I had the ability to judge people. Today, I see that this young man has a pure heart. Your Majesty has inherited the Tang Dynasty's abdication ceremony and is the orthodox man of heaven. Since you are the Son of Heaven, Your Majesty should accept the loyalty of this bad man."

Zhu Wen felt very comfortable. Today's few words from the old man and the young man seemed to make him put aside all the troubles he had in the past few months.

Moreover, because of Jing Xiang's words, he even liked Xiao Yan's face a lot better, so he waved his hand and said, "Since you have received Jing Gong's evaluation, why not I believe you? Stand up, I don't blame you for deceiving the emperor."

Xiao Yan saluted again first, then bowed solemnly to Jing Xiang, and then went to pick up the mask.

"Why are you still wearing that thing?" Zhu Wen waved his hand magnanimously, "Even if you are Li Yu, can't I use you?"

Jing Xiang stood there, saying nothing.

Xiao Yan was stunned, but then he showed excitement and knelt on the ground immediately, his eyes red as if he was about to cry.

When he spoke again, there was a slight tremor in his voice.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for restoring my true appearance..."

Zhu Wen was very proud and laughed loudly: "I am the Son of Heaven, how can I not have such a broad mind? From now on, not only will I allow you to use this face, but I will also announce to all the officials that you are the bad man of the previous dynasty, the substitute of Li Yu, and now you are following the will of heaven and submitting to me!"

"..."

Jing Xiang hesitated for a moment, but finally stepped forward and reminded him, "Your Majesty, this young man Xiao came to see you today to offer advice on how to take Hedong. I am really curious, so why not let him offer his advice one by one?"

Zhu Wen did not think Jing Xiang was being disrespectful after being interrupted by him. Instead, he became more interested: "Tell me quickly."

Xiao Yan wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, stood up and took out a map from his arms.

A eunuch immediately came forward to take it, first checking whether there were any clues in it, and then spread it on the table in front of Zhu Wen.

"Your Majesty," Xiao Yan stepped forward a few steps with a serious look on his face.

"This is the Youzhou City Defense Map."

Zhu Wen and Jing Xiang's eyes narrowed instantly.

The former stared at the map in his hand, while the latter looked Xiao Yan up and down and said, "You want to take all of Hebei so that Your Majesty can march deep into the country alone?"

Xiao Yan nodded, and then shook his head.

"I am a bad person and have subordinates in Hebei. Now, Liu Shouguang has taken over the title of Lulong Jiedushi and has been building a lot of buildings. His intention to become king is obvious. His brother Liu Shouwen is not good enough and has been defeated in several field battles. He has fled to Liaodong. After several battles between the two sides, although the towns in Hebei are still prepared for Daliang, they must be empty of troops and can be defeated in one battle."

Jing Xiang stroked his beard and watched Xiao Yan talking, but he was actually a little shocked.

Although the Xuanming Sect is under the Daliang banner, its infiltration north of the Yellow River is extremely limited, and Hebei is extremely vigilant against them. Although he has been constantly trying to find out what is happening in Hebei over the past half month, the news he has received is very little and slow.

For example, as for Liu Shouwen, the news about him still remained at the battle of Lutai (today's Tianjin), but no one knew that he had actually fled to Liaodong...

He weighed the pros and cons and immediately saluted Zhu Wen and said, "Your Majesty, if the situation is true, we will..."

"If Cangzhou is not taken, what's the point of taking Youzhou?" Zhu Wen interrupted him, inexplicably annoyed, and said with a gloomy face: "Li Sian was like this last year, he even reached the city of Youzhou, but he still retreated in defeat?"

"The people of Hebei are the most despicable. I have conquered them several times but have not found any good. If they try to lure me into this trap, won't that be a trap?"

Jing Xiang was stunned for a moment, then thought about it, and thought that he could give advice in private, so he stopped talking.

But Xiao Yan continued to speak: "Your Majesty, there are more than just Liu Shouguang and Liu Shouwen in Hebei..."

In fact, he was a little puzzled as to why Zhu Wen was so timid about the fertile land of Hebei, but this was not enough to hinder his plan.

As Jing Xiang looked somewhat dazed, Xiao Yan said, "As far as I know, the former Lulong Jiedushi Liu Rengong, although imprisoned, is still in Youzhou City..."

The former's eyes suddenly lit up and he subconsciously clapped his hands lightly.

Zhu Wen was not a fool. He finally reacted and sat up straight.

Xiao Yanyi was still calm, and took the opportunity to clasp his fists and said, "Your Majesty, just send a general to lead the troops to station in front of Cangzhou and wait for the opportunity. Give me a detachment, and I can seize Youzhou for your Majesty and control Liu Rengong. By then, the father and son of the Liu family will attack each other, but Liu Rengong's prestige is still there, and the morale of the army in Cangzhou will inevitably be unstable. Your Majesty can take Hebei in one go..."

His words were sonorous and powerful, but after he finished speaking, he just lowered his head and said no more.

This time, Zhu Wen finally became a little agitated. His fat body could hardly sit still on the throne. He stood up and asked anxiously, "Jingqing, what do you think?"

Jing Xiang did not speak directly, but moved closer and whispered: "Your Majesty, Qi is only west of Guanzhong, and Hanzhong is in the hands of Xichuan. It is like chicken ribs. It is useless to take it. On the other hand, Hebei is located in Youyan and is eyeing Hedong. If we take it, it will be like lying next to Li Keyong's bed. I think we should make a decision immediately..."

Zhu Wen's eyes rolled around and he asked, "How sure are you?"

Jing Xiang was stunned again, somewhat surprised that his leader was now so indecisive.

But he concealed his expression very well. After thinking for a moment, he looked at Xiao Yan in the hall and whispered, "This boy does have some strategies. Your Majesty, why don't you believe him last time? By then, the army will be stationed in Cangzhou, and only a small army will be with him. If it succeeds, he can conquer Hebei. If it fails, it won't be a big deal."

"You understand me."

Zhu Wen was overjoyed. He stood up, holding his stomach, and laughed out loud.

"You are such a good substitute, you really gave me a big surprise. However, I like men like you who are eager to make achievements, and I don't want you to lose heart. In this case, I will allow you."

"Your Majesty is wise! I will serve you till my death!"

Xiao Yan felt as if he had met a mentor and bowed to him sincerely.

Zhu Wen was very relieved and waved his hand: "Since you are brave and capable, I will not hesitate to give you an official position. From now on, let me consider your reputation as a bad person. Whether to keep you or not will be discussed later."

"Since you have offered your advice today, I will promote you to be the Chief of the Left Thousand Oxen Guards. You will temporarily stay in Bianliang and wait for the imperial edict."

When Xiao Yan first entered the officialdom, he did not yet understand how these official ranks were divided, so he just accepted the order and expressed his gratitude.

Afterwards, Zhu Wen and Jing Xiang wanted to have a detailed discussion in private, so Zhu Wen did not keep him any longer.

But because Xiao Yan's appearance was different, Zhu Wen still arranged for a eunuch to take him out.

……

Xiao Yan seemed still a little dazed, as if he had not yet recovered from his joy.

The eunuch was the one who had brought him into the palace in the first place. He congratulated him at this moment: "Congratulations to Xiao Changshi on your promotion..."

At last, he couldn't help but sigh: "Xiao Changshi and the former emperor do have some similarities."

"Deposed Emperor?" Xiao Yan smiled calmly and said, "Eunuch, don't admit your mistakes in the future. I am Xiao Yan."

"Of course." The eunuch turned around and looked at him, and reminded him, "Xiao Changshi is a smart man, so don't mention the word "substitute" again in the future."

"Thank you for your concern, eunuch." Xiao Yan suddenly became interested in this eunuch. He took out a silver ingot from his sleeve and quietly handed it over. "I am young and of low position. I hope you will take good care of me in the future..."

"Hahaha, my Ding Zhaopu is a junior eunuch in the palace. From now on, if the chief secretary has any questions, you can ask me."

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(End of this chapter)