Chapter 224: Royal Heir (End)

There was a moment of silence in the attic. The empress's astonishment turned into surprise, and then from surprise to contemplation. She subconsciously picked up the wine glass, but seemed to have forgotten that she had not yet poured the wine. She just stared at the empty wine glass with her eyes half-closed, as if she had not yet recovered from the shock, and only through this action could she slightly awaken her thoughts.

But apart from being the empress, she was also a contemporary vassal king who had ruled the State of Qi for fourteen years. She almost immediately began to weigh the pros and cons, and figured out the purpose of Yang Shuzi's behavior at the first opportunity.

It was obvious that Yang Shuzi was forcing the emperor to abdicate. And there were two people he was forcing the emperor to abdicate.

The first target, of course, is her, the 'King of Qi', and the second target is Xiao Yan, the 'former crown prince'...

Not only that, if we exaggerate, everyone in the attic was forced to abdicate.

This seemingly unknown middle-aged man actually carried out a conspiracy so openly, but they were completely unable to do anything about it.

Yang Shuzi's forcing of the emperor forced her, the King of Qi, to swear allegiance to the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty on the spot, forced Xiao Yan to accept the words of "being legitimate" whose rights and wrongs were not yet determined, forced Xiao Yan to accept the title of "Crown Prince", and forced Xiao Yan to accept the title of "Li Zuo" as the Son of Heaven!

For the Tang Dynasty, the title of the emperor ended with Emperor Zhaozong, and then he died. However, for the people of the world, the last emperor of the Tang Dynasty was actually Li Zuo, whose original name was Li Zuo, but was later changed by Zhu Wen!
For the present, for the empress, for her as the King of Qi.

If Xiao Yan's identity as the crown prince was real, and the words of entrusting his son to her care were true, then she, as a vassal of the Li Tang Dynasty, would naturally need to respect this legitimate crown prince who was personally chosen by the previous emperor and who had the ambition to revive the Tang Dynasty!
Even for the Qi State, which had always regarded the Tang Dynasty as its legitimate ruler for decades, this piece of Longyou land was naturally the foundation for the crown prince to restore the Tang Dynasty!
On the contrary, for Xiao Yan——

It didn't even matter whether he admitted it or not. Yang Shuzi only needed the empress to witness this scene. He only needed the empress, Qiguo, everyone present, and all the vassal states in the world to know -

The orthodox line of the Tang Dynasty lies in Xiao Yan, Li Zuo, and the Crown Prince!
This is not a question of whether Xiao Yan recognizes it or not, or even a question of whether the empress recognizes it or not.

This is a signal, a signal that even if everyone in the world doesn't want to pay attention to it, they still have to acknowledge it.

Although the Tang Dynasty is dead, the imperial family is over, the country is in decline, and the building is not safe...

But the nominal flagpole of the Tang Dynasty is still there! The purest heir of the Tang Dynasty is still there! The orthodoxy of the Li family that the previous emperor was willing to sacrifice a commoner for the crown prince to preserve - is still there!
The evidence for these facts is the seal of Zuochunfang, the jade deed with the prince's name inscribed on it and dragon patterns engraved on it, and the imperial calligraphy of the late emperor with cinnabar as ink and the seal of "Received the Mandate from Heaven, May You Live Long and Prosperous".

Although the Crown Prince Succession Law does not apply to the Tang Dynasty, haven't you heard of "holding the emperor hostage to command the princes, and holding the imperial edict to control the four directions?"

This orthodox title was what all the princes who respected Li Tang coveted the most in this chaotic world. Otherwise, Zhu Wen would not have tried every means to kill all the Tang family members, and would not have asked the sorcerer to tell fortunes after Li Yu abdicated the throne to see whether the Mandate of Heaven was with the Tang and whether it was necessary to kill this last remnant.

The four words "the orphan of the previous dynasty" already carry a legendary color. If we add the seven words "entrusted to the care of the orphan" and "commoners exchanged for the crown prince", how much more storytelling it will have? How can human power stop the endless gossip of the world? How can Zhu Wen stop it? How can selfishness stop it?
The so-called open conspiracy is to take advantage of the situation and make everyone present join the game willingly. For the empress, this game, although tricky, is full of temptations.

You have to know that two years ago, she sent Miao Chengtian and others to Caozhou to kidnap the deposed emperor. If there really was a legendary crown prince in front of her now, she would not mind taking a risk.

For her, the actions taken over the past decade or so have been more defensive than progressive, but as a girl, she can also have the ambitions that a vassal king can have!
She is not interested in becoming the emperor or dominating the world, but if there is a chance to make the people of Qi country prosperous and stable for a long time, and make Qi country the only one in the world, she will be willing to join the game. If there is such an opportunity, what's wrong with her following a wise leader to rebuild the Tang Dynasty?
But the prerequisite is that we need to understand what this wise master is thinking...

In a clear and chaotic thought, the empress finally raised her phoenix eyes, and slowly swept across Xiao Yan's profile without any expression. Then she glanced at the small box that Yang Shuzi held above his head with both hands. There was a palm-sized golden seal with a dragon and tiger button, which was the so-called Zuochunfang seal.

Zuochunfang, the name of an official office in the Eastern Palace, was modeled after the Menxia Province under the central government. Within it, there was a bureau specifically responsible for managing the crown prince's attire, such as his imperial robes, crowns, official uniforms, black gauze hats, and seals. So the prince's seal is often referred to as the Zuochunfang seal in official language, and the fish-shaped token used by the prince's officials to verify their identity would also be engraved with the words "Prince Zuochunfang".

Not to mention the jade deed and Emperor Zhaozong's handwriting, which were specially used to verify the identity of the crown prince. These things were complete and genuine...

……

Even the empress was still amazed, not to mention the three holy maidens Miao Chengtian, Xuan Jingtian and Guangmutian. Even the usually steady Miao Chengtian, like the two maidens, still had a blank mind at this moment. Especially Xuan Jingtian, she didn't even seem to realize that the wine jug in her hand had fallen to the ground and spilled wine all over the floor.

At this moment, Ji Ruxue was the first person to calm down. She pursed her lips slightly, and her beautiful eyes just stared at Xiao Yan.

Among all the people present, she had the most experiences with Xiao Yan. Whether in Caozhou, Bianjing, Luoyang or Hebei, she had observed Xiao Yan's mind and abilities along the way. In fact, she would not be too surprised by anything that happened to him.

Come to think of it.

She couldn't help but recall the time when they were in the outskirts of Caozhou last year, when she and Xiao Yan rescued the Master Lin, who was the Imperial Physician Lin Juzhen mentioned by Yang Shuzi. At that time, the Master Lin deliberately sent her away for a while, and specifically told Xiao Yan some words. Now thinking about it, there might be some truth in it...

If you think about it carefully, the so-called Lin Dalang mentioned in the tunnel that day that Xiao's father treated Xiao Yan very well, as if he were the heir to the throne. Now thinking about it, everything seems to make sense.

Why did Xiao Yan have his bones repaired and his face changed, why did Xiao's father want to exchange Xiao Yan for the abandoned emperor, why did Lin Shengshou persuade Xiao Yan not to blame Xiao's father...

All these things make sense.

However, at this moment, she looked at Xiao Yan's expressionless face and understood instantly.

Xiao Yan did not seem to want this identity to be exposed, or at least did not want it to be exposed now, especially to outsiders.

So naturally, she looked at Yang Shuzi who was bowing to her with a daze.

This guy, it turns out he has bad intentions...

But he clearly knew that this move might not be beneficial to Xiao Yan, so why did he have to reveal this now, in front of King Qi?
……

"Lao Yang, what nonsense are you talking about here!!"

Different from the reactions of the empress, Ji Ruxue and others, Shangguan Yunque, after being at a loss for a moment, was extremely nervous and fearful and tried to pull Yang Shuzi on the ground.

He clearly knew that he was being used by Uncle Yang, and that he was being sold out and helping him count money, but he couldn't care less at this moment. His feminine temperament actually showed some masculinity at this moment, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Don't be aimless. The Marshal has personally seen Tian Anxing. How can you know something that he doesn't know?"

In fact, he was also shocked by this news, because he only thought of Xiao Yan as a promising young man. It was a good thing that the Bad Men had a successor, and it was no big deal to compete with the Marshal. After all, it was just for the restoration of Tang. Everyone had the same ideals, so it was impossible for them to kill each other, right?
But this guy Yang Shuzi!

He pulled Yang Shuzi to stop, then laughed dryly at Xiao Yan, lowered his head in anger, and gritted his teeth and whispered in a voice that only he and Yang Shuzi could hear: "You clearly know the consequences of this action. Even if you want to do something, can't you wait!"

Yang Shuzi naturally ignored him, holding the small box in his hands, and just kowtowed without saying a word. However, while everyone was waiting in silence, Xiao Yan ignored Yang Shuzi's constant kowtow, and just stood up coldly, walked out of the attic with his hands behind his back, came to the pavilion outside, looked at the sun in the sky with empty eyes, and thought.

He used to think that this secret might only be known by Father Xiao and Lin Shengshou, and then he joined the group. Later, Yuan Tiangang used deduction to find the 'deposed emperor' to verify it, and then there was another general.

If he had managed to kill the so-called deposed emperor, Yuan Tiangang would have no way to verify it, and would have regarded him as just a bad person with a little ambition, and might not even look at him. It can be said that all this was caused by the mess he left behind, but he did not regret it. Giving the deposed emperor freedom was for his own good, and had nothing to do with any interests.

Even so, after the death of Xiao's father and Lin Shengshou, he and Yuan Tiangang were able to reach a subtle tacit understanding. This tacit understanding was that Yuan Tiangang would also tacitly acknowledge that he was just a bad guy with a little ambition, and was just a stepping stone for Li Xingyun.

But all this will soon disappear.

It has to be said that Yang Shuzi does have some thoughts that ordinary people could not imagine. It can be said that this role, who is both a master and a father to Li Xingyun, does indeed act according to his own heart, but this heart is for Li Xingyun, not for him, Yang Shuzi, and certainly not for the Bad Guys, the Tang Dynasty, or Yuan Tiangang.

Therefore, with this intention, he, Xiao Yan, became just another chess piece to block the knife for Li Xingyun.

Li Xingyun, Li Xingyun...

Xiao Yan looked at the flickering sun. Although he felt it was dazzling, he did not look away. He just kept thinking about these three words, looking at the scorching sun with his hands behind his back, thinking.

In this time and space, he struggled all the way, taking advantage of situations, taking risks, and raising troops. Not to mention the hardships, there were no two elders who were willing to protect him with their lives to help him plan and make moves.

Is it boredom, anger, or bitterness?

These were obviously normal emotions, but surprisingly, he didn't have any of them.

He knew very well that now that he had arrived at this time and space, and had this useless bloodline, no matter how he acted, he would eventually face the child of destiny, or in other words, face the great commander who had been working hard behind him and paving the way for him for three hundred years.

In the past, he thought that these things could be done later as long as possible. Before accumulating enough power, it would not be appropriate to really confront the commander-in-chief. Because for Yuan Tiangang, it would be a very simple thing to curb Xiao Yan's accumulated power. Once the balance is tilted, it means that the time for his own development will be greatly reduced, and he may no longer be able to rely on the power of the Bad People, and can only rely on himself.

More and more imbalances will inevitably bring more and more dangers, which can easily lead to an unfavorable situation for him.

But Xiao Yan has always believed that danger is often proportional to opportunity.

He finally made a decision.

Under the silent gazes of the Empress, Ji Ruxue and even the three Holy Maidens, Xiao Yan once again looked at the Sun for a moment, his aura shaking his clothes, and then he turned around slowly.

Finally, in front of Shangguan Yunque's astonished eyes, he gently picked up the golden seal with a dragon and tiger button, sneered, and placed it on the table.

"Tian Lixing is indeed a decisive person. I guess what happened today was not intentional, right?"

Yang Shuzi stood up calmly and said, "Your Highness, I think that the matter of rectifying one's identity should be done sooner rather than later."

Fuck you!
Shangguan Yunque shook his head in disappointment, feeling that his old friend was hopeless. Not to mention that he was worse than the other two, he kept saying some life-threatening things to him, making it seem like he was someone who should be reincarnated sooner rather than later.

Xiao Yan laughed again, but his laughter was mixed with neither joy nor anger. He then looked at the Empress and the others: "Everyone, can you please step aside for a while?"

The empress hesitated for a moment, then stood up and clasped her fists and bowed, "My young prince will be waiting for you, the prince."

Since she said this, Miao Chengtian and the others bowed respectfully one after another, and they suddenly felt a sense of alienation.

Ji Ruxue looked into Xiao Yan's eyes and also said nothing, but just followed closely.

Shangguan Yunque was also about to leave, but was stopped by Xiao Yan.

Then, the three of them were in the attic in a subtle atmosphere.

Xiao Yan stood with his hands behind his back, a thoughtful look on his face.

Shangguan Yunque looked annoyed, obviously hating himself for being kicked in the head by a donkey for bringing Yang Shuzi here.

The latter naturally still looked calm, as if ready to be killed and manipulated by others.

"Tian Lixing should know that from now on, you will cut off your future with the Buliang Marshal, and your future with your good disciple. Do you really not regret this momentary thought?" Xiao Yan said.

Yang Shuzi pondered for a moment, seemingly unaware that Xiao Yan would know about Li Xingyun's existence. But after just a moment, he just smiled faintly: "Your Highness the Crown Prince has the talent of a god. I have no regrets in being able to do this."

Shangguan Yunque finally couldn't bear it anymore and stamped his feet, saying, "Oh! What on earth do you want to do?"

Yang Shuzi smiled and did not answer. He just looked at Xiao Yan and said, "From now on, I am willing to die for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and fulfill my duty as a subject."

Xiao Yan sneered, put his hands behind his back, looked at the seal of Zuo Chun Fang on the table, and said meaningfully: "I don't mind if you drag me into this."

"But, can you really defeat Yuan Tiangang?"

Yang Shuzi straightened his cuffs and took out a book from his bag.

“It’s up to us.”

Xiao Yan turned around and squinted his eyes, and saw a book of sword manuals with the words "Green Lotus Sword Song" on it.

(End of this chapter)