Adhere to the gentleman's principles

On the flat beam, Li Ziyan suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, which was unbearable. He couldn't help but think of Jun Ning in the distance, wondering how she was doing now.

At this time, there was a commotion at the city gate. Xiao Xuantang led a large number of soldiers and came with Lin Muchen, Song Ciqiu and Jiang Luming. Everyone saw Li Ziyan kneeling at the gate, holding a scroll in his hand.

Li Ziyan shouted loudly: "Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live the emperor! The late emperor once left a will that if the new emperor cannot govern the country well, he can be deposed and another wise ruler can be appointed. Today, we follow the late emperor's will and come here to welcome Your Majesty."

Seeing this, Xiao Xuantang frowned and said in a deep voice: "Li Ziyan, what are you doing?"

Li Ziyan raised his head, looked at Xiao Xuantang firmly, and replied: "Your Majesty, now you are the emperor of Wei. You are standing on the land of Wei, and you are surrounded by your people. As the ruler of a country, you should shoulder the responsibility of governing the country and benefiting the people. However, the country is facing many difficulties and the people are living in poverty. We cannot sit idly by. The late emperor's last wish was that Wei could prosper and the people could live and work in peace and contentment."

Xiao Xuantang said: "Are you trying to stop me? Li Ziyan, you should know what I've been through?"

Li Ziyan said: "Now your Majesty's enemy died in Chengqian Palace last night, and the King of Yue was also executed and imprisoned in Tianlao."

Xiao Xuantang already knew that Qin Zhuoyuan was dead. "Li Ziyan, even if that's the case, I've already said that we'll fight back to Pingliang, slaughter Pingliang with blood, and reward the three armies. How can I take it back? How do you want me to act?"

Li Ziyan said with a firm look: "If Your Majesty is willing to take off your armor, then I am willing to donate all my property to reward the soldiers."

Xiao Xuantang sneered and responded: "What if I don't do this?"

Li Ziyan suddenly drew out the sword in his hand, the blade flashing with cold light, and he said loudly: "The late emperor gave me the sword of the emperor, which has the power to kill the tyrant emperor and the treacherous ministers. Now, I am here to welcome your majesty at the gate of Pingliang City. If your majesty is unwilling to take off his armor and enter the city, then I can only use my body to stop your majesty from moving forward."

Xiao Xuantang's eyes widened with anger, and he roared, "Li Ziyan, do you really think I dare not kill you?"

However, Li Ziyan showed no fear. He continued, "Your Majesty is a wise monarch, and is also a monarch supported by the people of the world. Today, I am here to wait for Your Majesty and work with the generals to welcome Your Majesty into the city.

Your Majesty and I are both young friends with high spirits. We have walked side by side on a thorny road. The late emperor placed high hopes on us, and we have lived up to his expectations and fulfilled his legacy. Now, Xunyang in Jingzhou is facing a fierce battle. My wife Zhao Junning is defending Xunyang alone, while my father, father-in-law and uncle are fighting fiercely with Handan Chi in Youzhou. "

At this point, Li Ziyan's voice was slightly low, with a hint of sadness, but he soon regained his firmness, "Your Majesty and I are both good men of the Great Wei. Your Majesty, please take off your armor and enter the city! And please don't forget your original intention." His eyes were full of sincerity and expectation, as if evoking the lofty ambitions deep in Xiao Xuantang's heart.

Fan Qingzhu and others followed suit and repeated, "Your Majesty, please take off your armor and enter the city. Don't forget your original intention."

Lin Muchen first cast his gaze towards Li Ziyan, then towards Xiao Xuantang. Suddenly, a voice came from behind them: "Your Majesty, forget it. During this trip, we witnessed the miserable lives of the people in Cangzhou and Yongzhou. We really can't bear to see them suffer any more. Now that the enemy has surrendered, the world should be governed."

Hearing this, Xiao Xuantang turned to look at Li Ziyan, his mouth slightly raised, revealing a smile. The two looked at each other for a moment, and then both nodded in agreement. Xiao Xuantang then turned over and dismounted, and shouted loudly: "In this case, everyone follow me into the city!"

Following Xiao Xuantang's order, many soldiers followed him into the city. After everyone entered the city, Xiao Xuantang walked towards Li Ziyan, stretched out his arms and hugged him tightly.

After a while, the two slowly separated. Xiao Xuantang stared into Li Ziyan's eyes and said sincerely: "Ziyan, thank you for holding me back at the critical moment and preventing me from falling into despair. Today, I also want to thank you for rescuing me in time. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid things wouldn't have gone so smoothly."

Xu Wenhe widened his eyes and said in disbelief: "Rescue? Could it be that you just performed that on purpose for us to see?" His voice was full of confusion and surprise.

Xiao Xuantang smiled slightly and explained, "That's not entirely true. At first, it was indeed Zi Yan's words that woke me up, but later, it was also because of the special tacit understanding between us that we were able to cooperate so perfectly and successfully resolve the dilemma for me."

Xu Wenhe was still a little puzzled after hearing this, and asked: "But how do you know that this will solve the problem? What if it backfires? Wouldn't it be even more embarrassing?"

Xiao Xuantang smiled and said firmly: "This is the power of trust and tacit understanding. We understand each other and know each other's ideas and abilities. In that emergency situation, we were able to respond quickly, cooperate with each other, and find the best solution."

At that time in Youzhou, Zhao Junning asked Zhou Aoyang to deliver the prepared food and fodder in advance, and the war ended in victory.