Chapter 223: Royal Heir (Part )

"Break?"

As the scream came from outside the attic, the empress frowned slightly, pressed the table with one hand, but looked at Xiao Yan with her phoenix eyes, with the corner of her mouth raised in amusement, obviously wondering who could have trespassed here.

Ji Ruxue next to her also frowned. It was not difficult for her to tell that the person who exclaimed was Shangguan Yunque, who had been shouting that he had nowhere to go and refused to leave Anle Pavilion. Moreover, the latter actually had his own place in Anle Pavilion.

After all, no one could have imagined that Shangguan Yunque, who looked neither male nor female and did not look like a serious person at all, actually had unique insights into arranging dance music, and these insights were quite good. In addition, he was eloquent and often made the dancers in Anle Pavilion giggle. In just half a year, he became the chief 'best friend' of Anle Pavilion.

However, since they were in Youzhou at that time, the news that Shangguan Yunque had informed Yuan Tiangang about Xiao Yan's whereabouts was leaked by Shi Yao, so he felt embarrassed to get involved in Xiao Yan's meetings later, so he would not easily come to such a place.

Today is...

She subconsciously looked at Xiao Yan, but saw that there was a rare thoughtful look between the latter's brows, and now he just strode out.

However, soon, amid the noise outside, the sound of swords being drawn was heard, as if the bad guys guarding outside had decided to use force.

……

"My dear mother!"

In the corridor outside the attic, Shangguan Yunque was already regretting his decision to the core.

Obviously, he only wanted to take Yang Shuzi upstairs to meet Xiao Yan, but he only wanted to wait for Xiao Yan and "King Qi" to finish their discussion before making any arrangements. He even sent someone to tell Xiao Yan first, and then planned to take Yang Shuzi to an elegant room to wait slowly. He was really considerate.

Unexpectedly, Yang Shuzi, the guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, after being led up, suddenly walked quickly towards the attic almost by instinct, without any greetings or etiquette, and just rushed in without saying a word.

But Shangguan Yunque knew that although it seemed that no one was guarding outside the attic, there must be bad guys hiding in the corners ready to fight at any time. He was afraid that the two sides would cause unnecessary bloodshed, so after a cry of surprise, before a few bad guys drew their knives and dodged, he hurriedly chased after them while shouting, "Don't do it! Misunderstanding, misunderstanding! This guy is Tianli Xingyang's uncle, we are all family..."

As expected, those masked Yanzhou bad guys obviously hesitated after hearing the voice.

Shangguan Yunque immediately breathed a sigh of relief, but the next moment, his pupils suddenly shrank.

However, Yang Shuzi did not stop, but instead used his body skills. Several silver needles flashed from his fingertips and pierced the acupuncture points of several bad guys accurately and swiftly.

'Puff puff……'

Several bad guys who reacted hastily were all frozen, as if their acupuncture points were locked. They could only watch as Yang Shuzi tapped the ground with his toes without hesitation and immediately rushed into the attic.

Shangguan Yunque was sweating profusely and didn't care about the glaring eyes of those bad guys. He didn't even have time to untie their acupoints and hurriedly chased after them.

But immediately, the sound of fighting was heard from inside.

Shangguan Yunque's heart skipped a beat. He opened his eyes and saw that Yang Shuzi, who had already climbed the stairs, was suddenly forced down. It turned out that when the latter flashed up the stairs, a figure suddenly jumped down from above his head, and then swept with the gravity of the unsheathed Tang sword, chopping the wooden ladder handrail on the side of Yang Shuzi into large pieces.

Yang Shuzi was prepared. As he turned over and dodged backwards, he bent his legs and wrapped them around a wooden pillar on the side, causing his entire body to hang upside down in a half circle. He then used the force to throw himself suddenly upwards.

"Hey."

Seeing that he neither accepted the challenge nor retreated, but was going upstairs regardless of anything, Gong Yang Zuo became interested. He raised his hand to stop Shangguan Yunque behind him and flew to catch up with him.

But in fact, he didn't need to chase him, because Yang Shuzi had already stopped in front of him.

But at the end of the stairs, a figure suddenly walked out slowly holding an eight-sided Han sword with a ring on it. Then he just stood there with the sword in his hand, quietly looking down at Yang Shuzi who was almost at the top, and then he didn't make any other moves.

He was wearing a faded paint mask, so his features could not be seen, but his temples were gray, and he looked like a bad guy from Yingzhou. Although he did not say a word, the aura he displayed was already very strong. In addition, he was in a superior position, so he could not let Yang Shuzi make any moves easily.

Gong Yangzuo at the back laughed again, looking at Yang Shuzi who was caught in the middle, and said, "Why are you so anxious, young man?"

Shangguan Yunque behind him was speechless.

Yang Shuzi must be over 40 years old. He raised Li Xingyun until he was 15 years old. A man who could be a father is still called a junior...

But there was no way to complain, because Gong Yangzuo's group of seventh-generation outlaws were all around sixty years old, and they were nearly twenty years older than the eighth-generation outlaws, both in terms of seniority and age. Xiao Yan had invited back a group of old antiques...

Thinking of this, he wiped the cold sweat from his head and shouted, "Lao Yang, if you have any ideas, just tell us. It's not in line with your character to force your way in. Don't scare me..."

Gong Yang Zuo narrowed his eyes and grinned, "You, Tian Lixing, are you trying to assassinate my Lord?"

Shangguan Yunque's face tightened when he was frightened, and he hurried forward to explain in a low voice: "Senior, please don't scare me. Lao Yang is a bit stubborn, but he never likes disputes. I know him best, it's impossible..."

"I don't care what you say." Gong Yang Zuo just pointed at Yang Shuzi in front of him with his chin and said, "I only care what he says."

Shangguan Yunque shouted anxiously: "Lao Yang, say something!"

In front, Yang Shuzi sighed and took off his hat, as if he didn't want to embarrass his friend because of him. He turned around and nodded to Shangguan Yunque apologetically, and then looked at Gongyang Zuo calmly: "What I want is nothing more than to meet King Qi. I have no plans for Tian Anxing."

"My own opinion."

Gong Yang's left eyeball rolled around: "Is it necessary to be so anxious to see King Qi?"

At this time, even Shangguan Yunque was confused. He pinched his fingers together, wanting to say something but stopping himself. It was obvious that he didn't know what Yang Shuzi was thinking. He clearly wanted to see Xiao Yan just now, so why did he suddenly say he wanted to see King Qi?

He hesitated for a moment, but finally looked at Yang Shuzi's calm face and suppressed the doubts in his heart.

This old friend, he has always been trustworthy...

However, just as Gong Yang Zuo spoke, a clear voice suddenly rang out from above: "Since you want to see King Qi, Tian Lixing can wait a little longer. Someone will introduce you later."

Everyone looked up and saw Xiao Yan, dressed in a dark shirt, walking out with a frown on his face. He then stood by the railing with his hands behind his back, apparently sizing up Yang Shuzi himself.

As for the latter, he just smiled casually at this moment, but he was also looking at Xiao Yan.

"Of course, but I have a trivial matter that I need to present to King Qi right now. I hope Tian Anxing will be flexible."

Shangguan Yunque, who was standing behind him, was stunned. He finally realized that Yang Shuzi seemed to want to break into the meeting place between Xiao Yan and King Qi unexpectedly... Or, he seemed to know that Xiao Yan would not let him do anything, and it seemed that it was because he sent someone to inform Xiao Yan in advance that this incident happened...

He pondered secretly, wondering what happened to his old friend today, and whether he should help him...

While he was thinking, Xiao Yan just frowned: "Does it have to be now?"

"It has to be now." Yang Shuzi glanced at the Yingzhou bad guy who was guarding Xiao Yan's side. The bad guy was holding a ring-headed eight-sided Han sword. He was like a wooden statue from beginning to end, waiting by the side without any emotion, but he was also looking down at him without any emotion.

He took a step back as if he had to retreat, pointing at Shangguan Yunque behind him.

"If Tian Anxing doesn't believe me, Brother Shangguan can testify for me. This trip is for a private matter. I know that Tian Anxing is resourceful, but I have no intention of persecuting you. However, because it is a private matter, I really don't want others to hear it. I only want to meet with King Qi to deal with some old matters. This is absolutely no lie, and heaven and earth can bear witness to it."

Gong Yangzuo let out a hissing sound, and realized that the "others" were referring to them, so he laughed amusedly and picked his ears.

When Shangguan Yunque saw Xiao Yan frowning and looking at him, his heart skipped a beat and he subconsciously wanted to look at Yang Shuzi, but he forced himself to hold it back. Then he coughed dryly and patted his chest to guarantee: "Uh... Xiao Lang may not know that Tian Lixing is indeed a person of great credibility. He said so, why don't you... believe him for once?"

How could Xiao Yan believe it, but he was really wondering why Yang Shuzi came to find him, and even more curious why he had to talk about some private matters with the so-called King Qi at this critical juncture.

There are only two things happening to Yang Shuzi.

One is the Longquan Sword.

The second is Li Xingyun.

But these two things are related to the restoration of the Tang Dynasty. He was really curious about what this middle-aged man, who almost single-handedly planned Yuan Tiangang's century-long plan in the original time and space, wanted to do at this juncture.

He had long believed that this time and space had begun to change beyond recognition because of him, but Yang Shuzi should not be affected. Or was it that Yuan Tiangang put pressure on Yang Shuzi?
As mentioned before, Yuan Tiangang wanted to use Qi as the foundation for restoring the Tang Dynasty. As one of the thirty-six captains of Tiangang who suddenly retired, Yang Shuzi might also know something, such as the fact that Yuan Tiangang tricked Li Maozhen into going to the Twelve Caves of Raojiang.

If we make a bold guess, Li Maozhen on Yuan Tiangang's chessboard may be just a key to the restoration of the Tang Dynasty, a key to open the Longquan treasure for Li Xingyun.

And would Yang Shuzi know about the situation of "Qi Country"?
Xiao Yan thought about it for a moment, but in the end just extended his hand to invite him.

After all, no matter whether Yang Shuzi really wanted to tell the empress about the Longquan treasure or something about Li Maozhen, he could sit back and watch. Yang Shuzi was not a threat to him, and they would meet sooner or later, so it was better to make a frank announcement earlier.

It all depends on what the empress chooses.

Seeing Xiao Yan extending his hand to invite him, the Yingzhou bad guy holding the ring-handled eight-sided Han sword next to him stepped aside and still did not react.

Gong Yang stroked his short beard with his left hand, and looked at Yang Shuzi's back as he climbed up the stairs with some suspicion, but he just shook his head and decided to tell this incident as an interesting story to You Yi who was on a business trip in Hebei.

Shangguan Yunque, who followed along, scratched his cheek, wondering why Yang Shuzi didn't mention anything about Lin Shengshou at this moment.

By the way, didn’t this old friend decide to come and see Xiao Yan in order to pay tribute to Lin Shengshou?

He suppressed this thought and hid it for the time being, just following closely. While helping Yang Shuzi, he also wanted to see what purpose this old friend had in mind.

What are you going to do to see King Qi?
……

In fact, the time between Xiao Yan leaving the attic and coming back was very short. Miao Chengtian and others had just stopped playing, the empress was closing her eyes in deep thought, and Ji Ruxue suddenly remembered what the empress had not finished saying just now, and she became a little panicked and confused for a moment.

It is true that her feelings for Xiao Yan are genuine, but she is absolutely an independent person and will never let herself become a burden to Xiao Yan. She should grow herself into someone worthy of Xiao Yan's choice, not because of the identity of the empress's "adopted sister"...

But at this very moment, Qi country needed her to do so. The four words "loyalty to Qi country" were what she had followed as her guiding principle for more than ten years. When Qi country needed her, she could not help but act recklessly.

Deep down in her heart, she still believed that she was not worthy of Xiao Yan...

Just as he was lost in thought, figures flashed outside the attic again. Xiao Yan strode in first, followed by Yang Shuzi and Shangguan Yunque.

The empress had already seen Shangguan Yunque, so she looked at Yang Shuzi and smiled, "This gentleman, is..."

"Ha." Shangguan Yunque was afraid that Yang Shuzi would say something inexplicable again, so he hurriedly tried to answer, but Xiao Yan had already waved his hand and introduced him directly: "King Qi may know him, but if he doesn't, he should have heard of his name. The so-called 'a single strike, death without injury' was created by this bad guy Tian Lixing, whose name is Yang Shuzi."

The empress was surprised, but she did not stand up, but she was polite: "That is indeed well-known. When Emperor Xizong fled to Shu, your Green Lotus Sword Song became famous in Shu. Although you have disappeared from the martial arts world since then, I have admired you for a long time. I didn't expect that even the owner of the Jinghong Sword Art is actually a bad person."

After that, she thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "To be honest, sir, I didn't pay attention to what you said to Tian Lixing just now, but I am really curious, what is the purpose of Tian Lixing seeing me now?"

Xiao Yan remained calm and slowly took a sip of wine, as if he was planning to see what medicine Yang Shuzi had hidden in the gourd.

However, facing the gazes of the crowd, Yang Shuzi just shook his head, and it was unclear whether he was denying his identity as a bad guy or denying the statement of meeting King Qi.

He was calm and took out the small box from his bag in front of the empress.

The empress was suddenly interested, her eyes half-closed, as if she wanted to see something from this obvious palace object.

Yang Shuzi was neither hurried nor slow. He just slowly opened the small box, then looked up at the empress. After confirming the authenticity of the vassal king, he nodded slightly, then suddenly turned around and knelt down facing Xiao Yan.

He held the small box flat in his hands, staring at Xiao Yan with a steady gaze, his tone exceptionally calm.

"I am Yang Shuzi, entrusted by my old friend Lin Juzhen and former Northern Ya Yulin General Xiao Tongjun, and I am here to follow the late emperor's will to rectify your Highness' identity."

Xiao Yan's hand holding the wine glass suddenly froze, and then his eyes narrowed uncontrollably, and a fierce murderous aura suddenly flashed in his eyes.

Yang Shuzi's tone remained calm, neither slow nor slow, and his voice was steady and powerful.

"In the first year of Jingfu, the late emperor felt that the Tang Dynasty was in danger and the royal family was in danger, so he secretly entrusted his son to the Imperial Guards, the bad man Tian Anxing Xiao Tongjun, and appointed the Imperial Physician, the bad man Lin Juzhen, to take care of your personal belongings, namely the seal of Zuo Chunfang, the prince's jade deed, and the late emperor's handwritten letter, so that your Highness can use them to prove himself when he restores the Tang Dynasty.

Therefore, Your Highness is the ninth son of the late emperor, the crown prince designated by the late emperor, the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty, the direct descendant of Emperor Taizong, and the twenty-first legitimate emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

That is the name written by the late emperor himself, Crown Prince Li Zuo."

The empress was shocked, and not only her, but also Ji Ruxue, Miao Chengtian and others were all stunned.

Shangguan Yunque's scalp went numb and he felt as if his whole body had fallen into an icy cave. The first thing he did was to slam the door shut. Afterwards, he turned pale and his hands and feet were extremely cold.

However, Yang Shuzi raised the small box above his head with both hands as if no one was around, and then bowed solemnly.

"Tang minister Yang Shuzi replaced the Imperial Physician Lin Juzhen and Yulin Guard Xiao Tongjun.

On behalf of the Tang Dynasty officials——

I pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. May His Royal Highness live a thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand thousand years..."

This one sentence shocked everyone.

(End of this chapter)