Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

"died?!"

"Yes, Your Highness..."

"Really dead?!"

"Yes, Your Majesty. The imperial physicians didn't even have time to treat him before he died on the way."

Li Chengqian and Li Shimin, father and son, looked at each other, both with expressions of disbelief.

Li Shimin gasped, rubbed his chin, and muttered to himself.

"That bastard Li Xing, when he was an official in the court, I never saw him with such backbone. Hitting a pillar? That old codger has been pampered since childhood, he probably couldn't even withstand a beating... hiss."

Li Shimin felt that things were becoming somewhat tricky.

Since ancient times, even if a criminal is guilty, if he dies for his country in the end, then the things he did before will not be completely wiped out, but they will definitely be reduced to minor matters and forgotten.

As for the Cui, Lu, and Li families, it's impossible to say they died for their country.

But... what that scoundrel said before he died was truly genuine, a poignant and tragic expression of a subject who was not valued by his ruler.

"Chengqian, this...this is getting a bit complicated..."

Li Shimin's face was gloomy and unpleasant, and Li Chengqian's brows were also slightly furrowed.

Beside him, Li Tai gently shook his head: "Your Majesty, if you ask me, who cares about hitting a pillar or committing suicide? These bastards are just trying to salvage their reputation, or even resorting to desperate measures... Just have the Embroidered Uniform Guards storm into the Foreign Affairs Department and chop these bastards into mincemeat with one sword each..."

Before he could finish speaking, he saw Li Chengqian nod.

"Hmm, Qingque makes sense. I was being too sentimental. Here's what we'll do... After General Li Ji takes over Goguryeo, I'll trouble you, Qingque, to go to Liaodong. You have experience governing Luoyang and Chang'an, so once you get there, you can immediately begin the new reforms..."

Li Chengqian rattled off, appearing decisive and efficient, which startled Li Tai so much that his face turned pale instantly.

He hurriedly waved his hands repeatedly.

"No, no, no, Your Majesty, I was just joking. You can't send your younger brother to such a place! You two continue chatting, I'll go check on Mother..."

After saying that, he quickly ran outside.

It’s impossible not to run!

Go to Goguryeo?

Liaodong is now a godforsaken place, no different from a barbaric wasteland. Going there and implementing new policies? Just thinking about the workload makes Li Tai shudder.

It's one thing to feel sorry for his elder brother, but Li Tai absolutely cannot accept risking his own life on the political desk.

"Tsk..."

Li Chengqian shook his head slightly: "It seems that my son and I might really be kidnapped by those bastards, Lu Zhaojing, this time."

Li Shimin sighed, "So you mean... we shouldn't kill them for now?"

Li Chengqian remained silent, still hesitating.

"What a brilliant move, Lord Lu!"

Chang'an, the Changsun family residence.

Changsun Wuji, the maternal uncle of the current crown prince and the governor of the Yellow River water conservancy project, was a man destined to be remembered in history. However, at a time when all the powerful and influential people in Chang'an were keeping their distance from Lu Zhaojing and his gang of plagues.

They brazenly and openly invited Lu Zhaojing and Cui Minshi to a banquet.

He stared intently at the two people sitting in front of him, his eyes filled with malice.

"Hehe, who said that Goguryeo was a foreign barbarian? Looking at you two today, I see... you have improved so much since you served as officials for my Great Tang."

"The head of the Li family of Zhao County, he said he'd smash his head against a pillar, and he really did. Tsk tsk tsk..."

Changsun Wuji spoke in a sarcastic tone, seemingly expressing admiration, but in the next second, a chilling killing intent suddenly erupted from his eyes.

"boom!"

The wine glass slammed onto the ground.

In an instant, a dozen or so servants dressed as axemen rushed into the hall.

"You think you can defy fate with such meager skills? Hmph! The Crown Prince and His Majesty cannot kill you, but I'd like to test just how tough your necks really are!"

Both Cui Minshi and Lu Zhaojing felt a sudden tightness in their chests.

Seeing that the axemen around them were really about to attack them, Lu Zhaojing coughed a few times.

"Lord Changsun no longer holds a title. Besides being a high-ranking official of the Tang Dynasty, you are merely the emperor's brother-in-law... Tell me, how is killing the two of us any different from the Crown Prince killing the two of us?"

The axemen had already rushed up to the two of them.

Cui Minshi instinctively made a defensive move, while Lu Zhaojing stared at Changsun Wuji with fierce and cunning eyes.

An invisible aura collided and erupted between the two.

Time seemed to slow down at that moment, even the axemen's movements as they raised their weapons to strike were as slow as a clay ox sinking into the sea.

Lu Zhaojing's gaze remained firm and unmoved: "The Crown Prince has not yet said he wants to kill us. Is the Imperial Uncle really sure that our deaths are what the Crown Prince desires?"

Changsun Wuji narrowed his eyes.

He remained completely calm even as the opponent's sword and axe approached.

"slow!"

"Whoosh!" The icy blade stopped less than a hand's width away from Lu Zhaojing and Cui Minshi's heads.

In other words, these people were all trusted retainers of Changsun Wuji, and they all possessed real skills. Otherwise, if anyone could not withstand the force, or if their weapon fell out of their hand.

Today's Feast at Hongmen has truly come to pass.

Changsun Wuji waved his hand, his eyes still sharp as he stared at the other man, like a cheetah that had fought fiercely in the jungle and neither of them had gained the upper hand.

They began to ponder each other's weaknesses.

The servants replaced the wine cups that had fallen to the ground and placed them back in front of the group. They also righted up the screens and tables that had been knocked over by the executioners.

After everyone had left, the melodious sounds of string and wind instruments began to play again from both sides after a short while.

This time, it was Lu Zhaojing's turn to raise his cup: "Lord Changsun, when we, the Lu family of Fanyang, were in the court, you and I were not mortal enemies. Now that we have fallen on hard times, let alone returning to our former glory, just being able to keep our lives is already a great favor from Heaven... Lord Changsun, neither my Lu family of Fanyang, nor the Li family of Zhao County, nor the Cui family of Qinghe are worthy of being your enemy."

"I understand Lord Changsun's desire to help the Crown Prince. However, in the present Tang Dynasty, let alone the decline of our aristocratic families, even in its heyday, who dares to say that they could overthrow the Tang Dynasty?"

"If Lord Changsun truly cares for the Crown Prince, he should not only refrain from killing us, but... he should save us!"

She downed the wine in one gulp, and the burning sensation made Lu Zhaojing tremble slightly.

However, Changsun Wuji merely sneered at his sophistry.

"You're alive? Ha... I can't sleep with you alive. After all, the trip to Goguryeo and the likes of the Lu family really made me feel cold inside. If my Changsun family were to go down that path, we wouldn't have the courage to face a foreign ruler."

Unexpectedly, Lu Zhaojing nodded slightly upon hearing this.

With an expression of approval, he said, "Indeed, looking back on all these years, my Lu family of Fanyang has fallen from a powerful and influential family in the Central Plains to a traitor that everyone hates. Now, when I think about it, I feel like I'm in a dream."

"Looking back now, I can hardly believe that the madman I once was was actually me..."

He shook his head slightly and raised his glass again.

"Lord Changsun, the reason why His Highness wants to exterminate our aristocratic families is simply because our families control the court. This is a struggle for the authority of the emperor and his subjects. We are now prisoners of war. As you said, Lord Changsun, you alone can kill us."

"However... if we survive, the three clans of the Lu family of Fanyang, along with the dozens of aristocratic families from Hedong who followed us to Goguryeo, will be able to make the Tang Dynasty once again possess the glory of Goguryeo!"

"How about giving us, the prosperous and powerful Goguryeo, the three races, the chance to live...?"

After speaking, Lu Zhaojing raised his cup and drank it all in one gulp.

Seeing the pained expression on the other person's face, which turned red and then pale, and glancing at Cui Minshi's tense expression beside him, Changsun Wuji sneered.

"Ha! You think you can take me on?"

Lu Zhaojing nodded: "That's right! Just based on us!"

Changsun Wuji: "..."

Seeing that he finally seemed to waver, Lu Zhaojing took a deep breath and spoke again: "After this is done, the Lu family of Fanyang will no longer be known as a noble family. We can disperse, change our surnames, and split our ancestral halls. From then on, our names will no longer exist in the world."

Changsun Wuji was now genuinely hesitant.

The main issue was that he was unsure about his nephew's attitude that day.

My nephew is destined for great things, and right now the Tang Dynasty really doesn't have the extra resources and energy to deal with Goguryeo.

However, the Lu family of Fanyang and their gang have already established a very stable foothold in the area.

"Knock knock knock..."

Changsun Wuji tapped the rim of the wine glass in front of him lightly with one finger.

I don’t know how long it took.

Just as Lu Zhaojing was getting a little nervous, she saw Changsun Wuji finally stop what he was doing.

"Letting you go isn't impossible, but..."

For some reason, Lu Zhaojing's heart skipped a beat when she saw Changsun Wuji's expression at that moment.

"With your crippled body, how can I believe that you can offer up a wealthy Goguryeo for my Great Tang Dynasty?"

Lu Zhaojing's expression relaxed, thinking something was wrong: "Although I'm nearing the end of my life, I still have Brother Cui..."

"call out!"

A sharp crossbow bolt suddenly whistled past Lu Zhaojing's cheek.

"Uh-huh!"

Cui Minshi's scream startled Lu Zhaojing, who turned around abruptly to see a crossbow bolt piercing the chest of Cui Minshi, the head of the Qinghe Cui clan, with blood gushing out in the latter's disbelieving gaze.

It gushed from his chest and mouth.

"Brother Cui!!!"

Lu Zhaojing scrambled to his feet and lunged at the other man, trying to reach out and stop the wound on his chest. However, aside from getting his hands covered in blood, it did nothing to stop the bleeding.

He turned his head angrily, only to see Changsun Wuji slowly tossing a small crossbow aside.

Get up slowly.

"Why?! What good would killing us do for your Changsun clan?!"

Lu Zhaojing questioned angrily, but Changsun Wuji chuckled lightly.

"Hehe, Brother Lu, you've misunderstood me..."

He walked up to the two men and looked at Cui Minshi, whose body was trembling and who was coughing up blood. He didn't call for a doctor at all. Instead, he picked up a pot of wine from the table next to him.

The wine glass in front of Lu Zhaojing was filled.

"Brother Lu, I'm doing this for your sake. His Highness didn't mention it in court that day, but... back then, as the commander of the Henan Circuit's troops heading north to block your clans, the Cui family of Qinghe were fleeing by ship while simultaneously transferring the city guards of Cangzhou County, and even allowing Japanese pirates to land..."

“Countless civilians died or were injured in that city that day. If I hadn’t changed course to rescue them, the entire city would have perished at the hands of those Japanese pirates… Brother Lu, with him here, the Crown Prince would certainly not have given you a way out. I… am helping you!”

As Changsun Wuji spoke, his cold eyes revealed undisguised malice.

He slowly picked up the wine glass in front of Lu Zhaojing and handed it to her.

"You think you can use your silver tongue to manipulate the Crown Prince? The Crown Prince is benevolent, and his only concern is for the peace of the country and the prosperity of the people. He is destined to be a sage ruler for all ages. You bet that the Crown Prince will choose to tolerate this for the time being, but..."

"The Crown Prince also has an uncle, this old man!"

He shoved the glass toward the other man, his gloomy eyes flashing.

"Brother Lu, if you also die, then the Cui, Lu and Li families will truly be finished. The Changsun family doesn't mind, and will send each of you a newly made coffin!"