The Romance of the West Chamber: The Bells are Ringing

Li Shi was shocked. He felt that everything about him had been seen through by the other party, and he was speechless for a moment.

He couldn't help lowering his head, thinking for a moment, then suddenly raised his head and pointed to a corner of the temple. He said: "The Red Sky Sword is there now." Li Shi's tone revealed a hint of pride, as if this sword was his confidence.

Hearing this, the man in black escorted Li Shi to the Red Sky Sword. On the sword seat lies an ancient long sword. The scabbard seemed to be made of fine leather, with exquisite texture and a faint blue light. The hilt of the sword is engraved with exquisite patterns of mythical animals, which seems to tell the story of a thousand years of inheritance.

The man in black stared at Chixiao Sword. There seemed to be disbelief in his eyes, but there was more of a hint of vigilance. Slowly, he reached out and grasped the hilt of the sword, and pulled the Chixiao Sword out of the scabbard without any hindrance.

The sword body is a deep darkness without any edge, but it exudes a mysterious atmosphere.

At this moment, the darkness emitted by the sword seemed to have changed somewhat, and the faint light flowed on the blade, revealing its dark nature.

A strange look flashed in the eyes of the man in black, and he said to Li Shi: "It seems that this sword is not so ordinary. What are your plans?" The man in black revealed his interest in the Chixiao Sword and his interest in Li Shi. expectations for future choices.

Li Shi sighed and said: "You are the heir of the Liu family, so naturally this Red Sky Sword should be returned to you."

"Hmph!" The man in black sneered, his voice echoing in Yanying Hall, and every word was like a sharp sword piercing Li Shi's heart. His expression was solemn, and his eyes were sharp and deep, as if he could see through everything.

"Emperor Dog! If you want to save your life today, you need to promise me a few things," the man in black said in a calm but unquestionable tone.

Li Shi stared at the man in black, feeling a chill in his heart. He managed to calm down, nodded, and motioned for the man in black to continue.

The man in black had a cold look in his eyes and said, "The first thing is to rehabilitate Zhaoxue for my grandfather Liu Gongri'an." Li Shi felt a chill in his heart. This was something he had always had trouble deciding on.

Liu Ri'an was once Li Shi's right-hand man, but many officials jointly petitioned for impeachment. Li Shi knew that Liu Ri'an was framed, but he still could not avoid Liu Ri'an's unjust death. If they are not allowed to play, then these noble clans will have an uproar.

He took a deep breath, looked at the man in black, and said in a deep voice: "I have already intended to do this, but the time is not yet ripe."

The man in black seemed to have expected Li Shi's answer, and did not show any surprise. He said in a deep voice: "When will the time come? Now that I have killed so many senior officials who jointly impeached me in the past, does it count as the time has come?" "

After saying that, he pointed the Chixiao Sword in his hand towards Li Shi's chest.

Li Shi was horrified and said in a trembling voice: "Yes, yes! I will issue an order to Zhao Xue tomorrow!"

"Okay, if you break your promise, those high-ranking officials will be your role models. When the time comes, I will use your blood to write a few bloody words on the white wall of your palace. It will not look good!" The man in black said coldly.

Li Shi hurriedly said: "Of course, I will definitely do what I say!"

The man in black stared at Li Shi for a while, and then looked at the sharp blade in his hand from time to time. Li Shi was too frightened to move.

The man in black continued: "The second thing is to strictly prohibit the donkey cart order and other methods of exploiting the people in the future."

When Li Shi heard this, he hesitated. He also understood in his heart that the Donkey Cart Order was a harsh rule and once implemented, it would surely make the people miserable. However, there will be a lot of resistance to repealing the law.

He frowned, but had to admit that what the man in black said was true. These were all exploitation of the people.

Tang Dezong Li Shi knitted his brows and looked at the man in black in front of him. He knew that the military expenditures to resist Tibet had indeed placed a heavy burden on the court. If they did not find a solution from the people, there would be nothing the court could do.

However, he did not want to appear too weak in front of the man in black, so he said: "I know what you said. But military expenditure is not an easy matter. The government's finances are tight. If we don't find a solution from the people, it will be really difficult. It’s hard to hold on.”

The man in black stared at Li Shi coldly, with a cold light flashing in his eyes. Li Shi was shocked by what he saw and did not dare to say anything more. At this time, the man in black said: "Then do you want the people to suffer, or do you want the court to collapse?"

Li Shi was shocked and quickly replied: "That's not what I meant. It's just that the military expenditures are urgent. I really don't have much time to think of a solution."

The man in black did not allow him to say anything and said coldly: "Same as the first thing, if you don't stop exploiting the people tomorrow, I will kill you!"

"Okay, okay!" Cold sweat broke out on Li Shi's forehead.

"The third thing is that you must dismantle the power of the noble families."

Li Shi was shocked when he heard this. He had known that what the man in black requested was very important, but he did not expect that he would directly mention the biggest hidden problem within the imperial court. The power of the noble clans was so intertwined that they controlled the military and financial power of the imperial court, which had always been a major worry for him. However, it is not easy to dismantle this force.

He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "This matter is not trivial and needs to be done step by step."

The man in black seemed not surprised by Li Shi's answer and looked at him coldly, waiting for his explanation.

Li Shi sighed secretly, knowing that he could no longer hide anything from the man in black. So he said: "You don't know something. The power of the noble families is deeply rooted in the Tang Dynasty. If you want to dismantle them, it will not be achieved overnight."

He paused and continued: "First of all, I need the support of the scholars. Only the scholars can break the power of the noble clans. This is what I have been working hard on."

When the man in black heard this, he seemed to be interested in Li Shi's plan. He asked: "Then how do you plan to get the support of the scholars?"

Li Shi smiled and said: "I have been secretly cultivating my own power and establishing contact with some key figures among the scholars. At the same time, I also need to find allies in the court to break the power of the noble families."

He raised his head, looked at the man in black, and said firmly: "I have been doing this, but it takes time. I believe that as long as we wait patiently, we will succeed."

The man in black was silent for a moment when he heard this. He seemed to be thinking about something, with a cold light flashing in his eyes. He said: "Your plan is good, but time waits for no one. You must speed up the progress, otherwise everything will be in vain."

After a pause, he continued: "Then we will agree on a period of three dynasties. After the three dynasties, if the noble family is still there, I will wield the Red Sky Sword to destroy you, the Tang Dynasty!"

Li Shi sat on the dragon chair, frowning and hesitant. He knew in his heart that the conditions proposed by the man in black were very harsh, but at the same time he also knew that if he did not agree to the conditions of the man in black, Datang would be in danger of destruction.

After thinking for a moment, Li Shi raised his head, looked at the man in black, and said in a firm tone: "The period of three dynasties is too short, and I cannot guarantee that I can reduce the power of the noble clans in such a short period of time. You see, I am already old. It’s hard to say how many years he will be able to sit on the throne. My prince Li Song has always been weak and sickly. Maybe it won’t last long after I die and ascend the throne, and it’s hard to say after that.”

When the man in black heard this, a cold light flashed in his eyes. He said coldly: "Then what do you think we should do?"

Li Shi sighed secretly, knowing that he could not give in too much. So he opened his mouth and said, "Can I have ten dynasties?"

"Then let's go to the Five Dynasties!" The man in black shook his head and said.

"The Five Dynasties are too few, and my children and grandchildren may not be able to have such strong abilities." Li Shi frowned, and bargained again: "Nine Dynasties, right?"

When the man in black heard this, a sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth: "Then let's go to Seven Dynasties! No more!"

Seeing that Li Shi was still open to bargaining, he raised the Chixiao Sword and waved the sword in front of Li Shi. The sword wind passed by and Li Shi quickly retracted his head in fright.

Li Shi's heart tightened, and he knew he could no longer continue bargaining. So he nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, the man in black seemed satisfied with Li Shi's decision. He said calmly: "Then it will last for eight dynasties. If the Tang Dynasty breaks the promise, don't blame my descendants for charging into Chang'an with the Red Sky Sword and trampling all the bones of the ministers!"