socalfunplaces Page 169
Page 169
"I have two matters to attend to today, and neither is difficult for the Empress Dowager."
Empress Dowager Wei was relieved to hear that Li Chang'an was going to make some demands.
For those in power, the willingness to engage in bargaining indicates that there is room for maneuver.
"Please give your instructions, Your Highness. I am all ears."
Empress Dowager Wei stood tall with a proud expression, never forgetting that she represented the dignity of the State of Qi.
Li Chang'an casually said, "I don't like it when you refer to yourself as 'this palace'."
Empress Dowager Wei knew that she had to set aside her dignity now, so she bowed and said, "This concubine will respectfully listen to His Highness Prince Yong's instructions."
Li Chang'an continued, "The first thing is to tell me everything you know about the Junshan Society."
Empress Dowager Wei is a member of the Junshan Society, and Li Chang'an needs to get more detailed information about the Junshan Society from her.
Of course, Empress Dowager Wei was only a member of the Junshan Society, so her knowledge was probably limited.
"Junshan Society is an organization founded by your older sister, Li Yunrui, when she was very young."
"However, at that time, the Junshan Society mainly recruited martial arts masters and was an assassin organization."
"At this stage, the Junshan Society was an organization that Li Yunrui helped Emperor Qing to secretly kill many of his opponents who were not convenient for Emperor Qing to kill."
"However, as Li Yunrui's power grew, the Junshan Society no longer served Emperor Qing and became an anti-Emperor Qing organization."
Empress Dowager Wei's account was similar to Li Chang'an's memory: Junshan Club later developed into a high-end resource exchange platform.
It's not that the Junshan Society's aim is to oppose Emperor Qing, but rather that Li Yunrui can use it to do anything, including rebelling against Emperor Qing!
"Among the members of the Junshan Society that I know of are Master Kuhe, Sigu Jian, Ye Liuyun, the Old Madam of the Ming Family, Qin Ye, and even your Crown Prince!"
"Not everyone in this organization is working towards the same goal; it's just a trading platform."
"The members of the Junshan Society possess extraordinary martial prowess, immense power, or boundless wealth! Only those with these qualities are qualified to engage in transactions!"
Li Chang'an continued, "In other words, the Junshan Meeting is actually divided into two phases."
"Initially, it was a low-end assassin organization kept by Li Yunrui, but it later evolved into a high-end resource trading platform."
"So, Li Yunrui is a resource broker, a pimp."
When it came to Li Yunrui, Empress Dowager Wei had a lot to say: "For us, the only way to make some exchanges is through the Junshan Meeting."
"But it's different for Li Yunrui. She was the initiator, and many people owe her favors for a long time."
Li Chang'an had basically confirmed the details of the Junshan Meeting; there was nothing new to report.
The organization itself is not very well-organized, but through this organization, one can accomplish earth-shattering things and even invite grandmasters!
"The second thing is that you tried to make things difficult for me at the birthday banquet today, and you even had murderous intent towards me."
Empress Dowager Wei explained, "That was because I was unaware of His Highness's strength, which led me to make a wrong judgment."
Li Chang'an said, "I'm afraid you still harbor thoughts of killing me. A woman like you must be severely punished."
Empress Dowager Wei sensed danger and asked nervously, "What do you want to do?"
Li Chang'an said nonchalantly, "You and Li Yunrui are about the same age, but she lives a much more comfortable life than you."
"She not only had a child with Lin Xiang, but also had a lover and a bunch of male lovers."
"And you, in order to cover up the fact that the young emperor is a woman, are walking on thin ice, trembling with fear, for fear of giving others a reason to criticize you."
Hearing Li Chang'an's words, Empress Dowager Wei's eyes widened, as if she had realized Li Chang'an's unbelievable intentions.
Li Chang'an ignored her astonishment and simply waved to her.
"Come here... kneel down... I'll give you a break today..."
……
This trip to Northern Qi has finally come to a complete end.
The next day, at Li Chang'an's behest, Si Lili was brought into the palace by Haitang Duoduo.
If Si Lili stays in Nanqing, she cannot reveal her identity and will not be able to help Li Chang'an much. It would be better for her to stay in Beiqi and become Li Chang'an's spy.
A few days later, in Zhan Pianpian's palace at dawn.
Li Chang'an, holding Zhan Pianpian, slowly opened his eyes; it was already broad daylight.
Recently, the Northern Qi imperial palace has become Li Chang'an's harem.
He lay on the bed, lazily stretched, turned his neck, and the brocade quilt covering him slipped off.
Zhan Pianpian, nestled in his arms, let out a soft moan, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, and her clear, beautiful eyes slowly opened.
With a flushed face, Zhan Pianpian stretched out her snow-white arms and tightly hugged Li Chang'an's neck, looking incredibly charming and adorable.
"Husband, it's still early, let's sleep a little longer."
Zhan Pianpian was half asleep when Li Chang'an pulled her to do a set of morning exercises, and she really fell into a deep sleep again.
The daily life of the eldest princess of Northern Qi is simple and beautiful.
After Li Chang'an returned to the post station, Fan Xian and his group came to say goodbye, as they were about to depart for the Qing Kingdom.
Fan Xian was accompanied by Gao Da, Zong Zhui, Guo Baokun, and Yan Bingyun, who had basically recovered.
Yan Bingyun's expression was unreadable, and it was unclear how he intended to deal with his past.
However, that was no longer relevant to Li Chang'an; his deal with Sean was already complete.
"Your Highness Prince Yong, all matters concerning Northern Qi have been settled. I shall now depart to return to Qing Kingdom."
Hearing the faint breathing of the figure not far away, Li Chang'an said calmly, "You guys go back first, many people are waiting for you to return."
"I still need to help Zhuang Daren finish annotating the poems, and I estimate that I will have to leave Northern Qi in another half month."
Fan Xian harbors a great secret, and both Emperor Qing and Chen Pingping are eagerly awaiting his return.
Watching the Nanqing delegation depart, Li Chang'an's heart was filled with hope.
After some twists and turns, Fan Xian got Yan Bingyun, and I got all the beauties of Northern Qi. We both have a bright future!
Nanqing.
Li Chang'an's vast collection of poems finally reached Nanqing.
Inside the imperial study, Emperor Qing was already immersed in a sea of famous literary works.
Since the rise of Nanqing, he has been determined to change the weak state of Nanqing's literary scene and has devoted himself to poetry and prose.
"From this day forward, the literary world of Nanqing has been completely transformed!"
"Most of these poems have been passed down through the ages; they are simply exquisite!"
"Chang'an has accumulated a wealth of experience over the years, and his character, vision, and talent have all reached their full potential!"
After reading all the poems, Emperor Qing slowly lay back on his couch, his expression somewhat complicated.
"Fourth Prince, Prince Yong caused the loss of two important ministers in Northern Qi, and single-handedly suppressed Northern Qi in the literary world!"
"I feel that the Crown Prince and the Second Prince are fighting each other, but compared to Prince Yong, the two of them are like children playing house."
Hong Sixiang bowed and said, "Your Highness Prince Yong is a man of great talent; it is a blessing for the nation!"
Emperor Qing's expression suddenly changed. "Look at Prince Yong's poems. His lofty ambitions are on full display, and his sharp wit is revealed without any concealment!"
"At the Yunmen Poetry Gathering, he confronted the young emperor of Northern Qi head-on, daring to say that the young Zhan family member was not the Son of Heaven!"
"At the banquet hosted by the Empress Dowager of Northern Qi, he brazenly sat on the throne of the young emperor!"
"Many people in the court have been reporting these messages to me, both openly and secretly, saying that Prince Yong harbors rebellious intentions, is suspected of usurping the throne, and has ambitions to seize the throne!"
"I can only say that they underestimated my magnanimity!"
Regarding the succession to the throne, Emperor Qing naturally wanted to live forever and become a king for all ages.
After orchestrating a scheme for over twenty years, he finally succeeded in extracting Sean's secret: he hoped to achieve immortality like Wu Zhu.
Although he had broken through to the Grandmaster level, there was no sign of his lifespan increasing. He dreamed of remaining forever young, like Wu Zhu, and forever occupying the throne.
If he could not live forever, the throne would definitely be handed over to the crown prince. Emperor Qing never had the idea of changing the crown prince. Li Chengze was just a whetstone for the crown prince.
In the original novel, Emperor Qing discovered that the Crown Prince was having an affair with Li Yunrui, which led him to depose the Crown Prince in a fit of rage.
If Li Yunrui and Emperor Qing had no romantic entanglement, the Crown Prince would most likely not have been deposed.
Despite Li Chang'an's rise to power, Emperor Qing remained confident in his status as a Grandmaster.
Emperor Qing believed that as long as Li Chang'an had no intention of rebelling, he would be the greatest help in unifying the world.
The crown prince cannot be changed, but the whetstone can be replaced.
If Li Chang'an doesn't compete or fight for the throne, that's fine. But if he has ambitions to seize the throne, let him be a whetstone for us all!
The throne can only be passed to Li Chengqian. If Emperor Qing cannot live forever, he will definitely take Li Chang'an with him before he dies. Otherwise, Li Chengqian really cannot control Li Chang'an.
Northern Qi Dynasty.
Several hundred miles south of the capital, there is an ordinary waterfall.
By tracking Wolf Peach, Li Chang'an easily discovered Bitter Lotus's hiding place.
He didn't know why Kuhe always chose waterfalls as his training grounds; perhaps it was to be closer to nature.