Chapter 246 Yuanyuan's Ambition

Taiyuan, Tongwenguan.

Li Siyuan twirled the two tufts of long whiskers at the corners of his mouth suspiciously, hissed, and then glanced vigilantly at the green shade on both sides with his slender squinting eyes.

After confirming that there were no other figures, he squinted his eyes and looked at the people in the wooden pavilion for a long time. After weighing the possible nearest enemies in his mind, he snorted and chuckled, put one hand behind his back, and with the other hand he threw out his "Wen" folding fan, and slowly walked forward.

"You came to visit me without even saying hello, but that's fine. I am a magnanimous person and will not take it seriously. But why did you want to occupy my Snake Pavilion?"

But after he said these words in a calm and somewhat joking manner, the figure in green clothes who was sitting in the pavilion brewing tea seemed not to have heard him. He was playing with a teacup in his hand, but just quietly turned his back to him and watched the tea aroma dissipate.

At this moment, Li Siyuan had become alert again, his steps slowed down slightly, and a ray of white light appeared from the palm hidden behind his back. Then he narrowed his eyes and sneered: "You are so arrogant, it's fine if you come here uninvited, but now you don't answer my questions, don't you know how rude it is?!"

It seemed that these words had some effect, as he clearly saw the man in the pavilion reaching out to take the mask that he had placed on the table.

"Ah……"

Li Siyuan sneered when he saw this scene, but his feet suddenly flashed out like an arrow from a bow. A white light flashed between the palms behind his back, and he suddenly swept into the pavilion with a strong wind and chopped the person in the pavilion on the back with his palm.

“No hurry, let me see your true face…!!”

Before Li Siyuan uttered the word "目", his pupils suddenly shrank.

The white light in his palm enveloped his entire right hand. He chopped down with 90% of his strength, but he couldn't even touch the clothes of the man in green. On the contrary, the latter's body suddenly surrounded by a protective aura that seemed to be real, and golden streams of light were linked together, which prevented Li Siyuan from hitting him with his palm, and he suffered a strong backlash from the aura.

Li Siyuan's face changed drastically, his complacent expression froze in an instant, his eyes bulged rapidly, with deep disbelief, he frantically pulled his hand back, and then his legs became empty and he staggered backwards.

When he raised his hand again, he was so frightened that he felt a chill on his back, and even the roots of his hair on top of his head seemed to stand up.

But his right palm and his entire forearm were actually burning. The layers of skin seemed to be roasted by flames, splitting in all directions from the palm, but there was no pain at all.

But Li Siyuan understood that he had been numbed by the pain and had even lost consciousness.

"How can it be……"

Li Siyuan bit the tip of his tongue, feeling the sweet and fishy smell in his mouth, before he finally made sure that he was not hallucinating.

But what he encountered was clearly just a protective Qi! !

He subconsciously took a step back, and looked up in horror at the man in green who had just turned around and looked at him. The man was already wearing a full-face mask of unknown material and a bamboo hat on his head, and he just glanced at him indifferently with his hands behind his back.

The next moment, the man finally laughed hoarsely.

"I've heard that the Holy Master of Tongwenguan, Li Siyuan, has reached the highest level of Supreme Saint Qiankun Gong, but it turns out that he is only this strong. If the Holy Master only has this much strength, he won't be afraid of embarrassing Li Keyong if it gets out."

Li Siyuan panicked, feeling that his underwear was clearly visible to the other party. Under the illusion, he glanced around, retreated calmly, and said with a sullen face: "I am usually on good terms with others, and I thought I should have no grudges with you. What exactly is the purpose of your visit to my Tongwenguan!?"

However, before he could retreat and call Li Cunxiao and others for help, he suddenly felt a flash before his eyes, and then a chill on his back, and a leather-gloved hand was placed on his shoulder lightly.

"Since there is no grudge, why is the Holy Lord so panicked? Why don't you come into the pavilion and have a chat with me?"

The hand was clearly just casually placed on his shoulder, but Li Siyuan felt as if he was being pressed down by a mountain. For a moment, he couldn't muster any strength in his body. Cold sweat poured down his forehead. How could he dare to disobey? He had to hold his breath and walk into the pavilion in embarrassment.

What was surprising was that the pot of tea in the pavilion was just boiling.

Yuan Tiangang sat down as a matter of course, waved his finger forward, and the lid of the teapot suddenly opened, and the tea vapor rose up and splashed on Li Siyuan's face.

The saint leader of Tongwenguan still had the hairs on his back, and he knew his situation and position very well, but he always believed that a hero is one who can endure humiliation and know the times, so he immediately picked up the teapot, played the role of a servant, and poured a cup of tea for Yuan Tiangang.

Then, he poured his own cup of tea without changing his expression and sat down.

"Ahem... I wonder who exactly you are and what brings you to my Tongwenguan?" After Li Siyuan sat down, he observed Yuan Tiangang's reaction closely with his peripheral vision. After seeing that he did not make any unnecessary movements, he finally dared to sit upright with peace of mind so as not to lose his status as a saint. Then he held the teacup and laughed, as if what happened just now was just a passing cloud and not worth mentioning.

Yuan Tiangang did not answer, but looked at Li Siyuan up and down with interest.

The latter's scalp suddenly tightened. From his perspective, he could only see Yuan Tiangang's dark and indifferent eyes behind the armor. As a dignified saint, he did not dare to look him in the eye, so he lowered his head, laughed dryly and drank his tea.

"The Holy Lord's plan to capture Hebei last year came to nothing. Didn't he hate Xiao Yan and his bad men?"

"Ha, how dare I be called the Holy Lord in front of you, sir?" Li Siyuan smiled humbly, then suddenly raised his head again, his face changed in shock: "The Bad Man... Your Excellency, are you the Bad Commander?"

Yuan Tiangang still did not respond.

But Li Siyuan had already put on an appearance of having heard of his great name for a long time, and he cupped his hands and said, "I have heard of the reputation of the Bad Commander from my adoptive father for a long time, and it is like thunder in my ears, and I still remember it clearly. Now that I have seen him in person, he is indeed as impressive as ever."

However, he never mentioned anything about Hebei, because at the moment, he didn't know whether this bad commander, whose power was completely unknown, was here to call him to task, so he naturally wouldn't take the initiative to expose the issue.

Yuan Tiangang casually glanced at the man's fake respectful expression while pressing the table. He did not comment on it, but said in a hoarse voice: "I came here today to ask the Holy Lord to do a few things."

Li Siyuan smiled and twirled his beard, but did not answer immediately. He just extended his hand and said, "Please give me your orders, General Buliang."

"First, Zhu Wen murdered the emperor and usurped the throne, committing treason. His wing, the Xuanming Sect, assisted the tyrant in his evil deeds. Since the Holy Lord is in charge of the Tongwen Academy, he should set an example and do his utmost to eliminate them."

"You don't need to give any instructions, General Buliang. I have been doing this all these years." Li Siyuan nodded.

"The second thing is that Zhu Wen just stole Hebei half a year ago. His foundation is still unstable, he has not won the hearts of the people, and he has not stationed troops. The King of Jin is a vassal king of the Tang Dynasty, and the Holy Lord is the head of the Thirteen Guardians under the King of Jin. How can we not take him?"

Li Siyuan was so surprised that he pulled out a few strands of his beard: "But as far as I know, isn't Xiao Yan, the champion who helped Zhu Wen to defeat the Liu family, your man?" Yuan Tiangang was indifferent and just said: "The traitor has been removed from my list, Saint Lord, just do it boldly."

Li Siyuan nodded in understanding, then spread his hands and smiled bitterly, "For the second matter, I am not shirking my responsibility. The bad commander may not know that I do not have the power to command the army from my adoptive father. This matter still needs to be entrusted to my second brother Li Cunxu."

"What's wrong with that?"

Yuan Tiangang laughed sneerily: "Li Yazi's defeat in Hebei is known to everyone in the world. With the Saint Lord's ability, can't he seize the military power from this?"

Li Siyuan's eyes flashed, and he subconsciously leaned forward: "Please teach me, Commander Buliang..."

"I heard that Li Yazi is known as 'invincible' in Jin State, and the King of Jin has not been in charge of military affairs for many years. There are many people in the army who know 'Yazi' better than the King of Jin. Even after this defeat, Li Yazi's popularity among the army is still stable. Since your King of Jin doesn't care about worldly affairs and has given full military power to the Crown Prince, why not let the Crown Prince take over the throne?"

"How can this be?!" Li Siyuan immediately stood up and asked anxiously.

But immediately, he suddenly reacted, his eyes rolled, and then he picked up the teapot and wanted to pour tea for Yuan Tiangang, but seeing that the latter's cup was still full, he just laughed and said, "What a good plan, General Buliang. I have always thought that the godfather would only be suspicious of us godsons, but I never thought that the father and son would also..."

His voice stopped at the right time, but it seemed that he had made up his mind. After sitting down, he was still laughing.

Yuan Tiangang remained calm and continued, "The third thing is that the name Shatuo Li of the King of Jin was given by the late emperor. Your Majesty, you must know this, right?"

"Of course I dare not forget it." Li Siyuan was very skilled in speaking, and almost immediately continued: "My adoptive father was given the surname Li because of his merits, so he was able to be conferred the title of King of Jin. We, the Thirteen Guardians, also got the surname of the Tang Dynasty because of this. We dare not forget the grace of the late emperor for a moment. As a minister of the Tang Dynasty, we dare not forget this for a moment."

"So……"

Yuan Tiangang placed his palm on the teacup, and his eyes behind the mask suddenly became sharper: "If there are any orphans of the previous emperor alive, shouldn't the Holy Lord also follow the etiquette of Tang ministers, respect the Li Tang bloodline as the legitimate one, and make the Tongwen Academy his supporter?"

Li Siyuan's hand holding the teacup suddenly got startled and a pool of tea spilled, but he ignored it and glared at Yuan Tiangang: "Li Tang's orphan!?"

Yuan Tiangang did not answer again, but his eyes were still cold.

The former suddenly felt frightened, and put down the teacup, and laughed dryly: "If it is true, I would do so, but I am not trying to quibble, but please do not blame me for one thing, General Bad."

Yuan Tiangang raised his hand: "You can talk as you like."

"Forgive me for speaking the truth. I have never met you, the bad commander, and I don't know whether the so-called orphan of Li Tang is true or not. But the bad commander should also know that although my Jin State has the Three Jins, its strength is limited to this. Since the establishment of Tongwenguan, it can only be spread in Hedong. Now Zhu Wen is powerful, and all the princes in the south are his vassals. If I am asked to respect the bloodline of Li Tang as the legitimate one, I am afraid that Zhu Wen will attack with all his strength, and I am afraid that I can't do it alone..."

After that, Li Siyuan acted awkward again: "And you, General Buliang, should also know that my adoptive father has the final say in Jin State, and the only place where I can have a say is in Tongwenguan."

After hearing this, Yuan Tiangang said indifferently, "That's why I gave the Holy Lord a chance to take the land of Hebei."

Li Siyuan laughed dryly: "Isn't it too early to say this now? I don't know when we can take back Hebei."

"Taking Hebei is only the first step."

Yuan Tiangang sneered, "I thought the Holy Lord was an ambitious man, but I didn't expect him to be short-sighted. If Hebei is taken, the Holy Lord's contributions to Jin will surpass Li Yazi's, and his reputation in the army will be comparable to his. Moreover, the Holy Lord is in charge of the Tongwen Academy, which is incomparable to Li Yazi. How can he not fight for the position of King of Jin at that time?"

Li Siyuan didn't take the first part of the sentence seriously, but when he heard the second part, he was suddenly dumbfounded. Then he looked around subconsciously, waved his hands and laughed dryly, "You are too kind, General Buliang. How dare I, an adopted son, covet the throne..."

Yuan Tiangang sneered without saying anything, just looked at Li Siyuan coldly.

The latter suddenly felt his scalp tingling, as if he could not hide his thoughts from the man in front of him, so he could only reluctantly answer seriously: "Even if I take Hebei as the bad commander said and get help from the army, my adoptive father has great merits and prestige, and he can't get past me, so how can I compete with the prince?"

Obviously, he was moved after all.

If Li Siyuan really had this ambition before, it was just a little thought in the deepest part of his heart.

Li Cunxu is a good fighter and can win the support of the people. He is also the only legitimate son of Li Keyong. With all the buffs, he is the natural successor to the title of King of Jin. What qualifications does Li Siyuan have to compete with him?
Is it just Tongwenguan? Don't you see that there are undercurrents in Tongwenguan? Li Keyong specially let his thirteenth sister Li Cunren lead the Shang Organization to be independent of Tongwenguan, but gave her the authority to inquire about the affairs of Tongwenguan. What does this mean? Doesn't Li Siyuan know it?

If Li Keyong really believed in his adopted son, he would not have pretended to be indifferent to worldly affairs while holding the Tongwenguan tightly in his hands. After all, no matter how humble Li Siyuan pretended to be, he would never have the opportunity to succeed to the throne. After all, he was just a retainer of Li Keyong.

No matter how much he accumulates strength in secret, under Li Keyong's absolute iron-fisted rule, these accumulated strengths are nothing more than means of self-preservation. What use can they be?

But after Yuan Tiangang pointed it out, how could his ambition, which had been hidden for many years, not be ignited? If it wasn't the first time they met, Yuan Tiangang's skill alone would be enough to make Li Siyuan say, "Please teach me how to deal with my adoptive father."

Yuan Tiangang smiled coldly, without saying much, and just said: "If the Holy Lord really has ambitions, just do everything one by one. At the very least, you must take away some of Li Yazi's military power. In this way, I will see the Holy Lord's ability and will solve the worries for him."

Li Siyuan was startled, but although he was moved, he just looked at the tea on the table, stroked his beard and said nothing.

Yuan Tiangang saw through his thoughts at a glance and stood up.

"My patience is limited. It is not up to you to decide whether to do it or not. If you are indecisive, you will not accomplish anything. Go and tell Li Keyong that an old friend has invited him to meet at the Cangbing Valley in Zhongnan Mountain. Let him think carefully about whether to come or not."

"The Valley of Hidden Troops in Zhongnan Mountain..." Li Siyuan muttered to himself, but he immediately understood the meaning behind this sentence. He knew that the bad general in front of him might really help him deal with Li Keyong, so he immediately pulled out a few strands of his beard, folded his hands and walked out of the pavilion to pay his respects.

"Li Siyuan will obey the commander-in-chief's wishes, work hard for the Tang Dynasty, and devote himself to honoring the orphan of the previous emperor..."

Yuan Tiangang sneered and walked away with his hands behind his back.

Upon seeing this, the former bowed again.

"Li Siyuan, send off the Marshal!"

(End of this chapter)