Chapter 147 Loyalty or Disloyalty

Xiao’s house, lobby.

The candle flame on the lampstand made a slight crackling sound. Apart from that, the hall was extremely quiet inside and outside. Only the rustling sound of wind and snow came in from the courtyard again and again.

Several bad guys were stunned. Although they did not put down their drawn Tang swords, they subconsciously pulled them down a little and no longer aimed at the woman in the yard who was holding the gold-plated token with the word "Tianyou".

Fu An was stunned for a moment, and said in disbelief: "Tianyouxing, Shi..."

But he stopped talking the moment he spoke. Not calling the beautiful woman by her name was a subconscious respect for this senior who had been famous for decades before them.

In the entire system of the Bad People, there is one commander and thirty-six captains. In addition to the chief who has the natural status of deputy commander, the status and strength between the captains can also be divided into higher and lower levels.

For example, the Tianyouxing in front of him was already the right-hand man of Marshal Yuan Tiangang when the Bad People were still active in the Tang Dynasty court before the Huang Chao Uprising. Although Fu An is only the ninth generation of the Bad People, he is familiar with his position among the Bad People.

The reason why he was surprised was that Tianyouxing Shiyao had disappeared from the world thirty years ago. Who would have thought that he would see a living person today? And from what she said, she came all the way from Cangbing Valley?

Hidden Soldiers Valley, even the bad guys rarely know the exact location of this Marshal's retreat. Fu An had long yearned for it, and he also knew that Xiao Yan's status as Tian Anxing was temporarily recommended by the Yanzhou branch. Now that Tian Youxing appeared, it also meant that the Marshal recognized Xiao Yan's status as a lieutenant.

Thinking of this, Fu An had already dropped his Tang sword, but he did not let down his guard. You must know that their Yanzhou branch is now a traitor among the bad people. The captain surrendered to Liang, and they, the branch members, are now following him, and they should also be considered traitors... Li Mang of the Cangzhou branch got on the pirate ship because he had a good personal relationship with him and knew the inside story.

Moreover, there seemed to be a hint of accusation in Tian Youxing's words.

He took a step back, saying nothing, waiting for Xiao Yan's instructions.

The other bad guys in the hall were also silent. They neither greeted Shi Yao nor sheathed their swords. They just blocked the door, just like a group of traitors.

In the courtyard, Shi Yao was not surprised at all, and her expression did not change at all. Moreover, in this snowy day, she was still wearing a thin purple dress, but there was not a single grain of snow on her body, which looked very strange.

She slowly glanced at Fu An and the others, and then set her sights on Xiao Yan, her tone neither cold nor hot, neither sad nor happy: "Tian Anxing didn't respond, could it be that he hasn't had enough fun yet?"

The faces of the bad guys changed slightly when they heard her unfriendly tone.

Candles were lit in the lobby, and the flickering flames were reflected on Xiao Yan's face, who had frowned slightly. He was now looking at the gilded token in Shi Yao's hand, as if thinking about something.

It seems that a proper captain is indeed different. A captain like him who rose to the top through unruly means does not have a badge with ancient patterns to announce his identity.

The dim candlelight extended from the lobby and shone onto the token. The patterns on it were simple and majestic, almost making Fu An and others speechless.

"No, I was just thinking..." Xiao Yan finally said, "Tianyouxing's appearance this time is just right. No wonder he said Xiao had enough fun."

"Tian Anxing, you may as well speak frankly." Shi Yao retracted her fingers, and the token in her palm disappeared out of thin air, her expression unchanged.

Xiao Yan walked out holding the lamp and said, "Before the battle in Hebei, Tianyouxing did not show up. After the battle, Tianyouxing did not show up for such a long time. Now that the people of Mobei have just returned to the grassland, Tianyouxing can come and cause trouble for Xiao at this time. Isn't it just right?"

Fu An and the others looked confused, as if they didn't understand.

Shi Yao raised her eyebrows, then couldn't help laughing, clapped her hands, and called out, "Shangguan Yunque, don't hide."

The courtyard fell silent for a moment.

After a moment, a figure awkwardly walked in from behind the courtyard gate. His banged-up hair could be seen from afar. When he walked into the light, his effeminate posture and coquettish smoky makeup were seen. Who else could it be but Shangguan Yunque?
Fu An and his group of bad guys all changed their expressions slightly and stared at Shangguan without saying a word.

Xiao Yan stood in front of everyone holding a lamp, his face expressionless, as if he already knew the inside story.

Shangguan Yunque became more and more embarrassed. He didn't dare to look at them at all. Instead, he glared at Shi Yao angrily, as if he was blaming her for selling him out so early.

But he still laughed dryly, and said in a low voice without any confidence: "Xiao Lang, the commander's order cannot be disobeyed, and I had no choice but to do it. At that time, I was willing to follow you into Bianliang, but I really didn't expect you to do this...

I know you have great ambitions to restore the Tang Dynasty, and you have your own plans for Mobei. But the Marshal said that you have allowed Mobei to be divided, which is very much to his liking, and there is no need to interfere in Mobei anymore..."

After that, he hesitated, and then continued: "Besides, I don't think the Queen of Mobei is a good person, why do you have to care about it? Isn't it a good thing that Mobei is divided and in a mess?"

But during his last words, his voice got lower and lower, and by the end, he had lost all confidence and was extremely embarrassed.

Shi Yao didn't care and added for him: "The Marshal's intention is to let Tian Anxing stop. Hebei has been settled, and the Marshal will not care about how Tian Anxing arranges. But in Mobei, Tian Anxing cannot move.

Afterwards, the Marshal wants to see you."

Fu An and the others were stunned for a moment and just looked at Xiao Yan.

Shangguan Yunque hurriedly explained: "The Marshal is very satisfied with you, Xiao Lang, how could she be so unreasonable. The Marshal's meaning is clearly... Oh, Xiao Lang, don't misunderstand, returning to the Hidden Soldiers Valley is probably just the Marshal's intention to give you instructions in person."

"I see." Xiao Yan nodded slightly.

Seeing this, Shi Yao placed both hands in front of her stomach, chuckled and said, "The commander-in-chief already knows that Tian Anxing has the ambition to restore the Tang Dynasty, and he will not ask any more questions. Even the Yanzhou branch and the Luoyang branch can be dispatched by Tian Anxing at will, but how to restore the Tang Dynasty, I think Tian Anxing should return to Cangbing Valley and report to the commander-in-chief, and then discuss it in detail. After all, the commander-in-chief had already planned to restore the Tang Dynasty decades ago."

Xiao Yan was thoughtful after hearing this.

Shangguan Yunque breathed a sigh of relief. He was really afraid that Shi Yao would be too tough and cause displeasure on both sides. He was already ashamed of betraying Xiao Yan, and he didn't want to cause any more trouble.

Shi Yao also had a smile on her face, as if she was just waiting for Xiao Yan to agree.

The latter suddenly burst into laughter, holding the lamp and walking back and forth twice, and said, "May I ask, what does all this have to do with the Marshal?"

"Naturally..."

Shangguan Yunque opened his mouth to answer, then suddenly froze and looked at Xiao Yan in disbelief.

Shi Yao's smile did not diminish, but she shook her head slowly and sighed softly: "Tian Anxing, are you determined to disobey the commander's order?"

Xiao Yan did not answer but asked: "Is it possible that Tianyouxing will fail? I don't know how to answer. What do I want to do with Mobei? How do I want to restore the Tang Dynasty? What does it have to do with the commander?"

"Nowadays, without the orders of the commander-in-chief, who in the world would truly serve the Tang Dynasty? Tian Anxing is taking the restoration of the Tang Dynasty for granted." Shi Yao frowned and said, "Besides, obeying the orders of the commander-in-chief is what we, the Outlaws, should abide by. As an Outlaw, you cannot disobey the orders of the commander-in-chief!"

Seeing that the atmosphere suddenly became tense, Shangguan Yunque hurriedly wanted to dissuade them, but when he opened his mouth, he didn't know what to say, so he could only stand aside and worry: "Oh, don't argue, don't argue, we are all colleagues, don't hurt the harmony..."

Shi Yao ignored him and stared at Xiao Yan with a serious look on his face: "I know you are capable, but since you have borrowed the power of the Bad People, you must obey the commander's orders. You must know that the Bad People are not your private tools."

"what."

Xiao Yan took a step back and suddenly laughed.

Shangguan Yunque and Shi Yao were just wondering, when they saw Xiao Yan just looking at the lamp in his hand, squinting his eyes, and said slowly: "If we obey the commander's order, we will be like you, living in darkness?" Fu An and others on the side looked at their bright lobby, and then looked at Shi Yao and the others standing in the dark courtyard, all of them were silent.

Shangguan Yunque hadn't reacted yet, and said with a wry smile: "If Xiao Lang is willing to invite us in, then we won't be in darkness anymore..."

But he immediately realized that Xiao Yan was using the thing in front of him to say that they had to hide for most of their lives? However, he hesitated to refute it, so he could only pinch his orchid fingers and sigh continuously.

Shi Yao immediately understood what Xiao Yan meant. She frowned and snorted coldly, "The Bad People are lying dormant in the world, just waiting for the opportunity. The Marshal has already made plans. How can he expose them so easily after decades of planning? It's you, Tian Anxing, who are too young and frivolous."

"opportunity?"

Xiao Yan asked back: "Tianyouxing has waited for thirty years. How many more years do you plan to wait for this opportunity? What opportunity? The opportunity to restore the Tang Dynasty?"

Shi Yao responded subconsciously: "What else?"

"Ha? If the Tang Dynasty wants to recover, don't we need to work hard?" Xiao Yan suddenly sneered and said sarcastically, "The bad people in the world, wait until dawn, and wait until night, wait for another thirty years, can you wait until the world is unified?"

Shi Yao frowned instantly.

But before she could say anything, Xiao Yan scolded her, "Or do you think that Tianyouxing thinks that there will be a generation of heroes who, after supporting the world, will willingly bow down to the Marshal and raise the flag for the Tang Dynasty? And then return the throne, which is full of bones, to the Tang Dynasty with great respect?

"Who are these people in this world? Is it Zhu Wen, Li Keyong, Li Maozhen? Or is it the princes in the south of the Yangtze River who are content with their own interests?

"Tell me, who is it?!"

Shi Yao's face tightened, and she realized that Xiao Yan had suddenly led her into a dead end. But even though she had realized it, all the words she had prepared were stuck in her throat, and she was unable to move forward or backward, and could hardly utter a single word.

Shangguan Yunque's face also turned pale, and he felt dizzy from the harsh shouting.

Fu An and the others scratched the back of their heads, thought about it carefully, and felt that what their captain said did make sense.

How long can the Bad People continue to lie dormant? It has only been two years since Zhu Wen seized the Tang Dynasty. How many people in the world still miss the Tang Dynasty?

Even among the various vassal states, except for Jin and Qi, which still held the banner of the Tang Dynasty, the other vassal states either proclaimed themselves kings or emperors, or followed Zhu Wen as their leader. To put it bluntly, even if Jin and Qi took over the world, why would they return the throne they had worked so hard to obtain to the Tang Dynasty and the Li Tang bloodline?
Is it because you, the Bad Man, have knives? You must know that the thing that is most in short supply in this world is knives! If the Bad Man suddenly appears and says that he wants to return the throne to the Li Tang bloodline, people will beat their brains out.

Not to mention, right now the chances of the Qi and Jin families taking over the world are very slim. Other princes do not even submit to the Tang Dynasty, so it is possible that their country names will not have anything to do with the Tang Dynasty.

At most, it would be enough to be able to pay tribute to the former emperors of Li Tang.

The hall was silent for a long while before Shi Yao said in a cold voice: "The Marshal has made every possible plan, how could he be wrong? As bad people, we are loyal to the Marshal and serve the Tang Dynasty, and we only have to fulfill our duties."

Xiao Yan put down the lampstand casually and said indifferently: "I said, my business has nothing to do with the Marshal."

"So, Tian Anxing is determined not to obey the commander's orders?" Shi Yao narrowed her eyes, with a cold expression on her face: "Or is it that Tian Anxing is not loyal to the commander?"

Shangguan Yunque, Fu An and the others were all a little pale, especially the former, who seemed to suddenly realize something and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Xiao Yan put one hand behind his back, burst into laughter for a moment, then pointed his finger at his chest and spoke softly, word by word.

"Xiao is only loyal to the Tang Dynasty."

Shi Yao's pupils suddenly narrowed.

Shangguan Yunque's face changed drastically, and he said in a hurry: "Xiao Lang, as a bad guy..."

But before he could say anything, Shi Yao had already thrown the token out as fast as lightning, with a faint purple color, and rushed straight into the lobby.

Xiao Yan's expression remained unchanged. He slightly turned sideways, allowing the token to brush past his shoulder and then slam into the stone wall of the lobby.

Shi Yao shook her head slowly.

"If he is not loyal to you, what's the point of keeping him?"

The former smiled and said indifferently: "Did Tianyouxing come here with the intention of punishing Xiao?"

"Tian Anxing only needs to answer whether he is loyal to the Marshal."

Shi Yao saw that Xiao Yan did not answer, and she understood, then looked at Fu An and others: "Is the Yanzhou branch loyal to the commander?"

The other bad guys were still hesitating, but Fu An had already gritted his teeth, stood behind Xiao Yan, and said: "Please forgive me, Tianyouxing, what the captain asks for is also what I ask for.

"This has nothing to do with Fu Mouzhong's disloyalty to the Marshal..."

At this point, the other bad guys also gritted their teeth and expressed their opinions: "We are loyal to the commander, but the captain is right. To restore the Tang Dynasty, we cannot just lie dormant..."

Shi Yao had a cold face and said nothing.

But she has discovered that this group of bad guys all look very young. Almost all of them are from the ninth generation, almost a generation younger than her.

No wonder...

"Shangguan Yunque, what about you?"

"Ah I……"

Shangguan's eyes flickered, and after a long pause, he finally spoke: "I will obey the orders of the Marshal... But I don't think Xiao Lang means that. Well, these young people have never even seen the Marshal, so why do you..."

Shi Yao sighed, realizing that she alone would not be able to take down Xiao Yan this time, so she said coldly: "You are all very brave, it seems that my trip tonight was not in vain. From now on, the Yanzhou branch will be removed from..."

Before she could finish, a charming voice sounded out of nowhere from behind everyone.

"If you're expelled, then you're expelled. How much do you care if you're not expelled?"

Hearing this familiar voice, Shi Yao raised her eyebrows, and saw a long-haired figure walking over from the corridor. She held the falling snowflakes with her hands and said casually, "Old witch, since you can't keep up with the young people's ideas, go home and rest."

"You!?" Shi Yao was very annoyed.

The surrendered minister walked into the light and stood beside Xiao Yan with his chin slightly raised.

“After decades, you’re still like this?
"Shi Yao."

(End of this chapter)