Datang: Longevity for Thousands of Years, Exposed by Xiao Sizi

Chapter 84: Xiao Sizi’s death date!

Near Wangyun Inn.

A day had passed since all the bookstores in the city closed.

At this time, the nearby streets were full of people reading with distracted eyes.

Many people who don't know the truth,

Through inquiries, I also learned that the imperial examination results were just announced yesterday, but all the bookstores in the city were closed.

All the noble families in the city are bullying these poor scholars!
I feel the same way and am extremely angry!
"Damn it, these sons of bitches from aristocratic families and those old men are relying on the little power in their hands to bully us scholars with no background! They are even oppressing us!"

"Yeah, this is... none of these officials are good. Last time I passed by, I heard an official say that they wrote a letter to His Majesty, saying that farming makes the people happy. I really want to slap him in the face. I have fallen to the bottom of the society, farming, and I am still happy?"

"You can't say that. There are many bad officials, but there are also good ones. I have inside information. During the last famine, the noble families refused to provide food. Your Majesty gathered food from somewhere and rescued the victims in the north. I think it must have taken a lot of effort. With Your Majesty here, our Tang Dynasty will not be in chaos!"

"Damn it! Damn it! These noble families all deserve to die!!"

"Yes, they are all vampires! They suck the blood of us civilians and scholars!"

"Your Majesty's announcement of the imperial examination policy at this time shows that he is thinking about us common people and scholars. It's so hard to have an imperial examination with fair competition, which allows people like us to become officials, but they cut it off! Damn it, damn the aristocratic families! Now I just hope that His Majesty can find a solution."

"Yes~ I hope so. All hope now lies with the court."

"Is it true that people like me, who are of low status and come from poor families, and whose meaningless lives are repeated day after day, will they... accompany us for the rest of our lives?!"

"...."

The people were talking a lot.

There is a lot of negative talk everywhere.

The aristocratic families and the common people are two groups that can never be reconciled.

It's like.

The children of noble families live in the palace, protected from the wind and sun, and are accustomed to enjoying the support from the poor people outside. No one can bear to ask them to move out of the palace and live a poor life.

The people had been working like slaves outside the palace and were very envious of the palace life inside and were eager to enter the palace life.

But resources are always limited.

If you break away from the class and enjoy a better life, it means that there will be people who will be pulled down by you and have to live a poor life.

This resulted in the people in the palace constantly increasing the city's defenses to protect their existing lives, while the people outside also tried their best and tried every possible means to get in and live there.

Therefore, there will never be a reconciliation between the aristocratic families and the common people.

From the Warring States Period to the present, ancient and modern, both at home and abroad.

The same is true.

The only lesson mankind has learned from history is that mankind has not learned any lessons from history and will always repeat the same mistakes, because human nature has not changed from ancient times to the present.

Negative emotions spread among the common people and the intellectual community.

The children of wealthy families who were fortunate enough to be working in nearby restaurants or other nearby places could not help but smile when they saw the common people and scholars who were complaining about the world and the world.

At the same time, fortunately,

I come from a noble family, not from these humble families.

Nothing has changed.

The negativity persisted.

It was not until the afternoon Shenshi (3-4 pm) that the sound of a team of Jinwu Guards in armor moving closer and closer, and they walked into Zhuque Street in strict military posture.

Everyone looked at them, wondering why the Jinwu Guards in the palace appeared outside the imperial city.

"Your Majesty has issued an order! Your Majesty is fully aware of the changes that have taken place in all the bookstores in Chang'an City today. You will give an explanation to all the readers in the world at noon tomorrow!"

The leading general of the Jinwu Guard held the imperial edict high to the sky and spoke in a loud voice. After that, he posted the imperial edict at the entrance of Chuhe Restaurant.

The words fell.

In an instant.

stunned!

Shock!

excitement!
When all the common people and scholars heard that the emperor knew about the bookstore, they were so excited that they almost danced with joy.

"Hahaha, His Majesty knows! His Majesty knows that there are no books for sale in our city!"

"Yes, yes, that means that those treacherous ministers did not deceive Your Majesty, or rather... they could not deceive such a wise and enlightened Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty will explain to us. With His Majesty's attitude towards us, he can definitely give us a solution! We will have books to read!"

"Hahaha, celebrate together, celebrate together!"

"...."

The people were extremely excited.

Although they are in a low position, they can see with their own eyes what those in power do.

Just like the previous emperor Yang Guang, the people had never seen him in person, but they could tell from his decrees that he was cruel and ruthless.

Li Shimin's various political decrees were all biased towards the people. How could they not be happy when he spoke out about the imperial examination?
"Humph, a bunch of idiots."

"Just live in your own fantasy world."

The young man from a noble family who owned a restaurant snorted with disdain, showing great contempt.

Those common people did not know the truth, but they knew that all the books in Chang'an City were in the hands of major families. Where did Li Shimin get the books from?

Even if the sky falls, there should be a sound! But now there is no sound!
Li Shimin will issue an imperial edict and give an explanation tomorrow. The only possibility is to cancel the imperial examination.

This is the different result brought about by information asymmetry.

The people do not know the truth, nor do they know that all the books in Chang'an City are controlled by the aristocratic families. They only know that when His Majesty speaks, it means that policies that are good for them have come out, because this has always been the case before.

The children of aristocratic families knew very well that the books were in the hands of the major families. Even if Li Shimin wanted to get books from other cities, it would take time and it would be impossible to get them tomorrow. The only possibility was to make fun of the imperial examination.

Different information gaps lead to different ideas.

But both groups of people had smiles on their faces.

"Haha, I really want to see the expressions of these stupid people when they hear Li Shimin, their most promising man, say tomorrow that the imperial examination will be abolished."

A young man from an aristocratic family laughed happily, his eyes narrowed slightly, and continued: "What kind of expression will they have at that time? Disappointment? Helplessness? Frustration? Haha, that's really an interesting scene."

"Yes, yes, these unruly people still want to be on an equal footing with our family elders with a crappy imperial examination. Dream on! Our major families, some with a longer history, such as the Five Surnames and Seven Families, have existed for thousands of years, while others have existed for several generations. Why should the efforts of several generations of us be defeated by a piece of paper from you?"

Some children from prominent families also spoke out, believing that their family's current status was the result of the efforts of their ancestors, and that it was impossible for them to be defeated by a piece of paper, both emotionally and logically.

The sensation and chaos continue.

At this time, there are people who are happy and weeping with joy.

The general of the Jinwu Guard couldn't help but smile knowingly when he looked at these people.

At this time, one of his men came up to him and reminded him.

"General, we should go to the next location to post the imperial edict."

The Jinwu Guard general regained his serious look, took a deep breath, and shouted, "Go!"

He waved goodbye and led the team away.

Only two Jinwu Guards were left to maintain order and protect the imperial edict from being torn off by anyone with ulterior motives.

After they left, the people completely let go and were extremely excited. Strangers were hugging each other and dancing everywhere.

Wangyun Restaurant, second floor.

A middle-aged man was watching this scene from the window, and he said in amazement, "Tsk tsk, why is this notice posted in our restaurant? His Majesty is really something, this is really wrong."

A masked woman holding a guqin came over and said with a smile, "Mr. He, your majesty's move can bring popularity to Wangyun Restaurant."

"It's already 3 p.m. Miaozhu noticed that there weren't many customers in the restaurant just now, but now they're all swarming in."

Mr. He touched his big bald head and said with emotion: "Ms. Miaozhu, it is because there are more customers that I am worried. I don't have much time to rest and I have to be busy again. I am exhausted."

The beautiful eyes of the woman named "Miaozhu" flickered, and she asked tentatively: "Then, do you need Miaozhu's help?"

"Mr. He" smiled and shook his head, saying, "No need, I am just complaining. Today, Miss Miaozhu, you should have a good rest and get enough energy."

"Chang'an City will not be peaceful recently. Whether it is the threat from that person or those from the previous generation, they all need us to watch over them carefully."

"Mr. He" smiled lightly.

He bought the Wangyun Inn these two days, at three times the price from the original owner.

It is unknown what the intention is, but it is obviously related to that person.

Fang Miaozhu pursed her red lips, nodded and lowered her eyebrows and said, "Okay, Miaozhu got it."

………………

Changsun Mansion.

Changsun Wuji left the Changsun Mansion, but Hou Junji, Qin Qiong and many pro-Li officials came to visit him today to worry about the imperial examination.

Since Changsun Wuji had left, all of them were received by Changsun Chong.

now,

everyone,

In one word, worry!

Their own interests can be said to be tied together with Your Majesty. They prosper together and suffer together.

If the imperial examination cannot be implemented, it will be a failure for them and Your Majesty.

"Damn it, really, is there nothing we can do?"

"Yeah... there's no way. All the books are controlled by the aristocratic families. It's all the books. How can we turn the tables?"

"Indeed, a turnaround requires some possibility. In our hands, apart from the books in your homes and some books from scholars outside, where else can we get books? And with the current stock of books we have, we can't supply the scholars in Chang'an City at all. Even if we piece together thousands of books and distribute them, those scholars will think that our court is strangled by the aristocratic families and can only get these thousands of books. Those aristocratic families will also make fun of us endlessly. It is better not to distribute them."

"Yes, the only solution now seems to be to cancel the imperial examination. Although we are reluctant, we have really failed."

"...."

Looking at the officials who were pessimistic, Chang Sun Chong, who was in charge of hosting the event, didn't know what to say.

after all.

Even he himself had been thinking about persuading His Majesty to cancel the imperial examination.

Just now.

A servant named Changsun walked in and whispered something in Changsun Chong's ear.

Chang Sun Chong's eyes widened instantly, and he hurriedly said, "Quick, please invite General Li in."

"Understood, Master."

The servant bowed and left quickly.

This surprised many officials.

Qin Qiong asked, "Xiao Chong, what happened?"

Chang Sun Chong shook his head and said, "Uncle Qin, I don't know either, but... I only know that Li Yan, the commander of the Jinwu Guard, is here."

Li Yan!

The second person in the Jinwu Guard, second only to Li Junxian!
Buy someone your majesty trusts!
His arrival often represents His Majesty's order.

All the officials' eyes flickered.

soon.

Li Yan, wearing elite armor, walked into the room. When he saw many officials here, he was slightly surprised, and then he laughed.

"Master Changsun, I didn't expect that you have so many officials in your mansion. This way, I don't have to run around."

Chang Sun Chong was a little surprised.

"Hmm? General Li Yan, His Majesty is looking for more than one place in my Changsun Mansion?"

Li Yan nodded and said, "Yes, Your Majesty must look for all the officials present, all the officials from the noble families, and even more so, all the people in Chang'an City!"

"Your Majesty, your father, Changsun Pushe and others will inform you of the results of this imperial examination at noon tomorrow!"

The words fell.

All the officials' eyes widened instantly.

They are all... unwilling!

What was supposed to come, has it come yet?
At this critical juncture, they have not found a solution to the issue of the imperial examination. The only solution Your Majesty can find is to cancel it.

in this way,

OK, OK~!

The province's indecision will lead to chaos.

Just treat it as cutting the Gordian knot!
Li Yan took in their expressions and said with a smile: "It seems that you officials have some guesses about your majesty's decision, but I want to tell you that you are wrong!"

"What your majesty and Zhangsun Pushe and others are planning is a big deal! And it will benefit the court!"

Qin Qiong asked, "General Li, what do you mean?"

Li Yan showed an unfathomable smile.

"This is because your majesty and Zhangsun Pushe and others have found a way to break the impasse, and all the noble families dare not believe the way to break the impasse!"

"Everyone, wait and see the show tomorrow at noon. I still need to notify other officials, so I will take my leave first. Goodbye."

Li Yan bowed and took his leave without any delay.

He was only responsible for notifying pro-Lee officials.

Even these officials, most of them, cannot tell the truth.

This was ordered by Li Shimin.

Firstly, it is too time-consuming, and secondly, it covers themselves with a veil of mystery, making pro-Li officials more convinced that they were right to insist on choosing the Li Tang royal family!

Loyalty needs to be maintained.

And surprises can bring more loyalty.

After Li Yan left, the officials began to discuss the matter.

"What do you mean, Your Majesty?"

"Perhaps...Your Majesty has his own considerations, but Your Majesty said that he can solve the situation, but is it true?!"

"Xiao Chong, what did your father and His Majesty plan? Do you know the inside story?"

Many officials looked at Changsun Chong.

Changsun Wuji was the person closest to Li Shimin. As Changsun Wuji's eldest son, Li Shimin could be the first to know about any disturbance through Changsun Wuji.

At this time,
Chang Sun Chong also looked confused.

Know what? This is already a desperate situation. Your Majesty and Dad...what else can they do?
He was also confused and didn't understand.

...........................

late at night.

Lu family, Lu mansion.

A man dressed in black climbed over the wall.

At this time, the Lu Mansion was heavily guarded even at midnight, and the man in black seemed to be very familiar with the Lu Mansion. He was always able to cleverly avoid all the guards and sneak in secretly.

soon.

He came to a rockery, made sure there was no one around, and then tapped the arm of the rockery where a person was chanting Buddha's name, three times on the left and nine times on the right.

With the last touch, the rockery moved to the right, revealing a secret passage underneath.

The man in black jumped in calmly, and the rockery then closed by itself.

The stairs below lead directly to a room.

The man in black walked up the stairs and went straight into the room.

"You delayed a cup of tea."

in the room,

Patriarch Lu still had his hands hidden in his sleeves, his eyes narrowed and his smile was amiable, but there was some dissatisfaction in his voice.

The man in black half-knelt and said, "I'm sorry, there are a lot of Jinwu Guards in the imperial city tonight, so we were delayed on the way."

"So, how did it go?"

Patriarch Lu asked.

He asked the men in black to go to the imperial city to investigate as a basis for investigating Li Shimin's abnormal behavior today.

In conventional intelligence,

After learning that Li Shimin had brought people to meet the descendant of the Meng family, he issued an imperial decree to declare the imperial examination.

This is not normal!

Very abnormal!

No, to be more specific, anything related to the descendants of the Meng family… which is equivalent to the descendants of the immortal, is not normal!!

"Mr. Lu, your suspicion is not wrong."

"Li Shimin has already found a book of poetry that can turn defeat into victory from the descendants of the Meng family. This time, it is related to Wangyun Inn again."

"Because the descendant of the Meng family took the books out from Wangyun Inn! In the inn at that time, His Highness Xiao Sizi and... that Qin Wenyuan were also there!"

The man in black told the intelligence he had gathered truthfully.

Qin Wenyuan….
Patriarch Lu narrowed his eyes slightly, then he let out a long sigh and said, "It is indeed so."

"With the Jinwu Guards here, we can't do anything to this batch of poetry and books."

"This matter, including the previous one, is all due to Qin Wenyuan being the key to breaking the impasse. In many matters with the immortal, this Qin Wenyuan has contacted Mo Ni, and they are even close friends. He is also the key. With him around, there is no guarantee that the next action of the noble families will fail."

"Qin Wenyuan will not move for now. I don't know much about him, but...that little prince Sizi, I know him like the back of my hand..."

"Get ready to activate the dark chess. It's time to make her...silent."

"It is time to use her to force the immortal behind her to reveal his true appearance!"

The tone was calm, but the words spoken were terrifying.

Through a series of investigations, the head of the Lu family has discovered that Xiao Sizi is very important to the immortal.

He wanted to force the immortal to appear by assassinating Xiao Sizi!
A very radical, even stupid approach.

But no way.

He doesn't have much time left...

In recent days, he often felt that his body had begun to lose control and that his end was near.

If we can’t find that immortal person to extend his life, perhaps he will no longer exist in this world.

At that time,
No matter how much power he has, or how prosperous the Lu family is, what does it have to do with him?
So in order to prolong his life, he is willing to do anything!
Even if it means... at the cost of the entire family.

He didn't care either.

Qin Shi Huang gave everything in pursuit of immortality. He was just one of the countless people who were willing to do anything to pursue immortality.

So I don’t feel burdened.

The black-clothed man's calm eyes rippled, and his voice trembled as he asked, "Mr. Lu, are you serious about assassinating His Highness Xiao Sizi?"

"That... is a princess, a direct descendant of the Li Tang royal family."

"Besides that, she is Li Shimin's favorite daughter. If she dies... then Li Shimin will definitely turn his hatred towards the aristocratic family and may even go crazy."

"A mad emperor, Li Shimin at that, plus an immortal who is very likely to go crazy, how terrifying it is! I believe Mr. Lu knows it better than me."

maybe.

He would give up everything, kill one thousand enemies and lose eight thousand of his own, and wipe out all the noble families in Chang'an City.

The man in black didn't dare to say this.

But he knew.

Patriarch Lu could definitely think of it.

"Haha, you underestimate the charm of power."

Patriarch Lu narrowed his eyes and smiled, "After the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Li Shimin would have lost everything if he failed, so he went crazy. But now... he has everything. Even if Li Mingda died, it was only Li Mingda who died."

"Power is charming, allowing people to get everything at their fingertips, but at the same time... it can also make people timid and afraid of losing power."

"Do you think that an emperor who stands at the pinnacle of power would be willing to bear the infamy of cruelty in the future and gamble the future of the entire Li Tang royal family because of the death of his daughter, and slaughter all the aristocratic families in Chang'an regardless of the consequences and without asking the reason?"

"He will hesitate, and even if he is determined and is willing to sacrifice everything to massacre the noble families, his officials, including Changsun Wuji and many other officials, will stop him. If they cannot stop him, they will even turn to our noble families."

"This is only because Zhangsun Wuji and others also enjoy the charm brought by the top power. How could they go crazy with Li Shimin just because of Li Mingda?"

"And as for the Immortal... yes, he will go crazy."

"But this is what I hope for. Now that there is no progress in his whereabouts, I will use the matter of Little Sizi to force him to... come forward and show up on his own initiative."

The man in black's eyes flickered, and he lowered his head slightly and said, "Mr. Lu, I am grateful for your advice."

This time, I bowed my head out of admiration from the bottom of my heart.

Lu Yuntian didn't care. He slowly walked past the man in black, climbed the stairs and walked towards the exit of the secret passage.

Followed by his still calm voice.

"Just wait, and get ready to do it with confidence."

"Except for that immortal, no one will risk everything to avenge Li Mingda, so go ahead and do it."

"Haha, you are so bold as to assassinate a princess of a founding emperor. If you succeed, your names will be recorded in history books for eternity, leaving a heavy mark."

"By then, history books will record it like this: there was Jing Ke in the Qin Dynasty and Zhu Lian in the Tang Dynasty."

“How majestic will this be?”

The bold words echoed for a long time in the airtight dark room.

When the man in black heard this, he suddenly felt a surge of heat in his heart.

He doesn't care about fame or infamy.

Anyone who can leave his name in history books is a great man, a hero between heaven and earth!
........................

Vertical sun.

It's just dawn.

Many people got up, and even some scholars got up earlier than the chickens.

They were looking forward to the day.

Looking forward to Li Shimin supporting them today!

Severely punish those bookstores that refuse to sell books!
The entrance to the imperial city.

It was only the hour of Mao, but they were already close to a large group of people, especially scholars.

In the past, they hated standing in a crowded place with others, as it was unworthy of being a scholar. But today, most of them changed their behavior and tried their best to squeeze in and move forward, just wanting to get a little closer to the emperor.

As a result,
When the emperor spoke, they could hear more clearly.

"Why is it only Mao time? Time goes by so slowly."

"Yes, that's right. I hope it will be noon soon."

"Hahaha, don't be anxious! I didn't sleep all night last night. I didn't say anything. We just need to wait patiently."

"...."

The people were talking a lot.

at this time.

Inside the imperial city.

Qin Qiong spent the whole night investigating, but still couldn't figure out what Li Shimin wanted to do today.

This was the first time he had done this.

"Ah, what on earth is your Majesty keeping in suspense?"

Qin Qiong sighed, very puzzled.

at the same time.

Since this place was where all the officials gathered, when those officials from aristocratic families saw Li Shimin's personal general Qin Qiong, they all looked distressed and became more certain of their thoughts.

Li Shimin must definitely abolish the imperial examination!

Now, Pei Ji and others smiled even more broadly.

Although I haven't seen Changsun Wuji and others yet, but seeing Qin Qiong's appearance, it's almost the same.

We planned to go to the Li family in Longxi to have a drink after noon. Their wine is very good and it is worth getting drunk.

Everyone has their own thoughts.

Waiting for noon to arrive in discussion.

"Dang~"

The first bell rang in the imperial city.

This is a pendulum specially prepared because of today's special holiday. Someone will be responsible for ringing it at noon. Ringing it now means that noon has arrived today.

"It's noon!"

"Hahaha, after waiting for so long, there will finally be a result."

"Your Majesty, you must decide for us!"

"...."

Many scholars looked at the open gates of the imperial city and screamed heart-wrenchingly.

And in the next moment.

With a loud bang, they seemed to hear the ground shaking.

It's doubt.

This was mainly because the noise from the people at the scene was too loud and I couldn’t hear clearly.

"boom!!"

The next moment, most of the people shut their mouths. This time they were sure that the ground was really shaking slightly.

"Boom boom boom!!"

The noise was getting louder and louder, approaching them.

Some timid people swallowed unconsciously.

I was terrified, afraid of what was about to happen.

"Then, what is that!"

"Monster, monster!!"

Some sharp-eyed people noticed something and cried out in fear.

Only inside the imperial city.

Nearly several huge figures with bodies too strong for humans to possess walked out slowly.

When they walked out of the shadows, the people could see that they were all golden giants, covered in gold. The smallest one was three meters tall, and the largest one was only five meters tall.

"What, what is this?!"

"It's a golden giant. My God, there is such a terrifying mechanical device in the imperial city!"

stunned!

Shock!

Can't believe it!

The people were stunned.

At this moment.

Even the officials in the imperial city were confused.

What's the situation?
When has such a mechanical creature with such a large size and such an oppressive feeling appeared in the imperial city?

This is also a situation that the officials from the aristocratic families have never imagined.

In an instant.

Some officials from aristocratic families had a bad premonition in their hearts, a feeling that... something unexpected was going to happen.

"Look, there's someone there!"

"Yes, there is a little girl on the back of a golden giant that is five meters tall. She seems to be asleep?"

The people looked over there.

(End of this chapter)