Chapter 8: Planning Before Action (3)

  Time passed minute by minute, and in the blink of an eye, a stick of incense had burned out. Li Xian had not spoken again, and the atmosphere in the hall had become increasingly heavy and oppressive. However, Li Xian was not bothered at all, because he was very clear about Li Xian's stubborn personality. To persuade him, it was not an easy task, but rather a matter of mastering skills and timing, just like cooking - if you take the pot off the stove too early, the dish is raw; if you take it off too late, the dish becomes mushy. You have to get it just right in order to cook a delicious meal. Li Xian had already thought this through before coming to the Wangfu, so he wouldn't be impatient because of Li Xian's silence. He simply sat quietly on the side, leisurely sipping his tea, as if nothing was wrong.

  Li Xian was not lacking in patience. Later, when he was a government official, he could spend three days and nights without sleep talking to protesters about "life ideals" in front of the city government building, exhausting nearly a thousand protesters. Compared to Li Xian's endurance, this was child's play. Li Xian was also able to endure, but how could he keep up with someone like Li Xian? Before long, poor Li Xian was panting and his chest was heaving like a bellows.

  "What are you doing? Ah, speak up! What did you say?" Li Xian's heart was clearly in a complete mess, his face puffed up like a drum as he almost shouted in anger.

  "Sixth brother, you are being too serious. I just want to state some facts. In the past, when officials like Zhu Xu (Zhu Sui) and Lai Xu (Lai Ji) were demoted, no one spoke out for them, so they died. Similarly, when Han Xu (Han Xuan) was slandered by treacherous people, no one spoke out for him, and he also died. Later, when Changsun Old Minister was slandered again, still no one spoke out for him, unfortunately, he too died. Now, it seems that Minister Shang is being framed and will likely meet the same fate. Who knows who's next? Maybe even I won't be spared. When that time comes, who can speak up for me?" Li Xian was flustered, but Li Xian remained calm as water, listing in a flat tone the many old ministers who had been framed and killed by Empress Wu.

  Li Xian listed out these old prime ministers who were openly demoted and killed due to the framing by Xu Jingzong and Li Yifu, who was demoted last year. However, everyone knew that these old ministers were actually eliminated by Wu Zetian's poisonous hands. These were just high-ranking officials, let alone mid-level officials who suffered under Wu Zetian's manipulation. Counting them one by one is truly terrifying to hear. Especially when it fell on Li Xian, who had never been favored by Wu Zetian, it was like a thunderclap that shook him so much his face turned deathly pale.

  "That's enough, you're outrageous, speaking nonsense! You have a big dog's gall, do you want to rebel? I'll report you to the Emperor!" Li Xian was furious in his heart, but he didn't believe that Wu Zetian would take action against him. To cover up his fear, he suddenly stood up and glared at Li Xian with round eyes, scolding him repeatedly.

  Li Xian's every reaction was already within Li Xian's expectations, and now that he had started to rage, Li Xian didn't think it was worth anything. He casually swept a glance at Li Xian, picked up the teacup in his hand, slowly took a sip, and then coldly opened his mouth: "Sixth brother wants to rebel, let him rebel, see if Mother Empress believes it or not."

  "You... get out, you're not my brother!" As soon as Li Xian spoke in this manner, Li Xian suddenly felt his anger rising, and with stars flashing before his eyes, he shouted loudly without restraint. The commotion was so great that the servants outside the hall all rushed to gather below, but since Li Xian had not summoned them, no one dared to enter the hall and intervene in the dispute between the two brothers.

  "Haha, alright, Sixth Brother has spoken, I'll take my leave. This door, hey, when I come again, who knows what kind of situation it will be? Farewell!" Li Xian stood up decisively, without any hesitation or dragging his feet, and with a flick of his sleeve, he left behind the polite words and turned to head out of the hall.

  One step, two steps, three or four steps, Li Xian's pace was very calm, neither fast nor slow, just like a leisurely stroll. In the space of ten or so steps, he had already walked to the screen at the entrance of the hall, but still did not hear Li Xian speak again. Li Xian's heart could not help but tighten slightly, however, since things had already reached this point, they could no longer turn back, and he could only continue walking forward with a stiff upper lip.

  "Hold on!" Just as Li Xian was about to turn around the screen, Li Xian, who had been silent all along, finally couldn't help but raise his voice and shouted.

  "Hey, young man, can't hold it in anymore? Well, the real show should be on stage now! Li Xian, who had been nervous and apprehensive, felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders as soon as he heard Li Xian's shout. His face remained calm, but he slowly turned around, not rushing to speak, just silently staring at Li Xian."

  "What, what, what exactly do you want to say?" Li Xian, who was made uncomfortable by Li Xian's gaze, shifted his body slightly and asked nervously.

  "The tree wants to be still but the wind will not stop." Li Xian said with a casual tone as he walked slowly back to his son's side.

  As the saying goes: a loud drum doesn't need to be beaten heavily. Li Xian was naturally astute and immediately understood the unspoken meaning behind Li Xuan's words. However, it was precisely because he understood that he felt an endless sense of trepidation. His originally pale face suddenly lost all its color, and he stared blankly at Li Xuan for a while before solemnly bowing his head and saying: "Please enlighten me."

  Li Xian looked at him with a high gaze, and in the past, he never looked at Li Xian with a straight eye. However, at this time, he formally saluted, showing that deep down, he had already considered Li Xian as an equal to have a conversation with. This might be a wonderful thing for others, but it was not what Li Xian wanted. The reason is simple: Li Xian still hoped to use his brother, who had always looked down on him, as a shield. He did not plan to confront him at this time and place.

  "Sixth brother has spoken heavily, I am foolish since childhood, if I can have a little insight, it is not that outsiders are clear. If I can assist Sixth Brother in one or two things, it would be my great honor." Li Xian returned the courtesy with great respect, and after being humble for a while, he entered the main topic, hesitating to open his mouth: "Father Emperor, you are a gentleman, so you don't like to fight, which makes the treacherous officials in the court often go unchecked, their momentum is getting more and more arrogant. If we don't stop them, how can the imperial power be restored? Now, the Crown Prince is weak and kind-hearted, even if he has the heart, it's hard for him to have the power to punish evil. I've observed all the civil and military officials in the court, only Sixth Brother can take on this heavy responsibility, this is the reason why Sixth Brother should be enfeoffed."

  "So what?"

  Li Xian's temperament is relatively impulsive, but he is not the kind of reckless and brainless person who can be easily swayed by flattery or cheap tricks. Even though he has a different opinion of Li Xian now, it doesn't mean he will follow Li Xian's orders like a puppet. As soon as he heard that Li Xian was planning to confront Wu Zetian alone, he immediately came back to his senses and gave Li Xian a calm and collected glance, saying in a flat tone:

  "Sixth Brother, did you know what Father Emperor and Eunuch Xu argued about in the Imperial Study yesterday?"

  Li Xianping's mind was calm and his breathing was steady, showing good mental control. However, Li Xian didn't think it was unusual at all, because he had memories of his past life. He already knew what kind of person his older brother was, and he understood what Li Xian was thinking about at this moment. Therefore, he wouldn't be taken aback by Li Xian's question and lose the initiative in the conversation. With a smile, he changed the subject.

  "What Seventh Brother said was just the imperial edict of general amnesty, could there be any ulterior motives behind this?"

  As an ambitious man, Li Xian naturally had his reliable sources of information. Moreover, yesterday morning, he himself had an unpleasant encounter with Xu Jingzong over the matter of the imperial amnesty edict. He was extremely sensitive to all sorts of news regarding this matter and would not have been unaware of the dispute between the emperor and his ministers in the imperial study yesterday afternoon. However, up until now, Li Xian still could not see through the ulterior motives behind this edict. At this moment, seeing that Li Xian had shifted the topic to this place, he couldn't help but feel suspicious and looked at Li Xian with a puzzled expression for quite some time before hesitantly speaking out to probe him.

  "The Emperor's haste in signing this amnesty decree is only to save one person." Li Xian's words had barely fallen when Li Xian immediately responded.

  "What? Such a thing exists, who is this person?" Li Xian's words were so affirmative that he was taken aback for a moment, furrowed his brow, and thought carefully, but still couldn't understand who Li Xian was referring to. After hesitating for a moment, he had no choice but to ask.

  Li Xian's face turned solemn, and he spoke in a measured tone: "Shangguan Yi!"

  "What? This, this, how is it possible? Ah, no, not right, Lord Li Xian...” Li Xian was clearly startled by Li Xian's words, suddenly jumping up and exclaiming loudly, his face changing for a long time before finally calming down. He bit his lip, staring blankly at Li Xian who sat calmly as before, took a deep breath and said: "Seventh brother is indeed one who will not rest until he has shocked people to death, but does seventh brother have any evidence? This matter is of great importance, it's not something to be taken lightly, seventh brother must not speak rashly."

  Evidence? How can we find evidence for such things, do we have to go to High Zong's face and ask for proof? To be honest, if Li Xian didn't have the memories of three lifetimes on him, he wouldn't be able to see through the subtleties. However, facing Li Xian's questioning, Li Xian couldn't afford to show any weakness, so he coldly laughed and said: "Evidence? If everything requires evidence, then it would be easy to handle, the four seas would be peaceful from now on, doesn't Sixth Brother think this question is a bit too pedantic?"

  "Seventh brother, you..." was refuted by Li Xian like this, and Li Xian's face immediately became somewhat unflappable. He tried to retort with a few words, but when the words reached his lips, he suddenly didn't know how to explain himself properly, so he could only awkwardly stop talking and glare at Li Xian with a scowl.

  "Indeed, without evidence, one cannot convince the public. What I said was just a casual remark. Please forgive me, Sixth Brother. If you really want to talk about evidence, it's not that there isn't any. I dare to bet with my elder brother. If things don't go as expected, today will be the day when Officer Li and his family are put in prison!" Just as Li Xian was secretly getting angry, Li Xian suddenly changed his tone and played his trump card again, scaring Li Xian once more.

  "Seventh brother, ah seventh brother, you, alas, are you intentionally trying to annoy your older brother? Can't you say what's on your mind all at once?" After being tossed about by Li Xian several times in the morning, Li Xian was clearly bewildered, but didn't dare to scold him again. He could only force a bitter smile, shake his head, and rebuke Li Xian with one sentence. Then, without giving Li Xian a chance to explain himself, he waved his hand and said: "What do you want to do, seventh brother? Just speak your mind."

  "Sixth brother asked, younger brother should tell the truth." Li Xianchang knelt down and sat, with a solemn expression, replied: "Younger brother has been illiterate since childhood, and martial arts are not good either. In fact, he is an incompetent person. Every time older brother teaches and trains younger brother, it all comes from love. Younger brother dare not betray his older brother. The decision has been made, starting from tomorrow, I will put down my pen and take up arms, and I will learn martial arts by bowing to a teacher. Now our great Tang Dynasty's borders are still unstable, younger brother should not let General Huo be the only one to gain merit in front of him. In the future, when there is achievement, I will be the vanguard for older brother, sweep across the four seas, and solidify the foundation of our great Tang Dynasty for ten thousand years!"

  "Apprentice? Seventh brother plans to apprentice with whom, for the sake of curiosity. " Upon hearing Li Xian's words, Li Xian's curiosity was immediately piqued, and he couldn't help but ask another question in a hurry, without even considering the previous imperial pardon.

  "My heart has already chosen a good teacher, but this matter still needs the emperor's approval. It will be clear later, so let's not discuss it for now. I came to find my brother today, not just to save the entire family of Official Shang, but also to take advantage of this opportunity to eliminate the treacherous officials in the court. If Sixth Brother is willing to take action, I will follow closely behind and together we can achieve a great feat that will be remembered for ages." Li Xian gazed at him, seeing that he was almost done, and didn't want to get entangled in trivial matters anymore. He nodded his head and spoke in a low voice.

  "Hmm..." Li Xian was originally enthusiastic about participating in court affairs, and as for Li Xian's proposal, how could he not be moved? However, this matter is of great importance, and Li Xian dared not lightly agree to it. But facing the sincere and pleading face of Li Xian, he couldn't easily utter words of refusal. After hesitating, his eyebrows involuntarily furrowed together.

  "Sixth brother, I have some superficial views on this matter, perhaps it can be used. This matter should..." As soon as he saw Li Xian behaving like this, Li Xian couldn't help but secretly laugh and wouldn't let go of this great opportunity to strike while the iron was hot. He smiled and got up, walked to Li Xian's side, leaned in close to his ear, and began to speak in a whispery tone, causing Li Xian's face to change from joy to shock to doubt...