When the two sides were on the verge of a fight, Li Longji suddenly came to the door. Of course, Gu Qing would not naively think that he came to pay homage to his birthday.

The relationship today is so wonderful. They both know that each other is working hard, and they don't even bother to pretend.

Li Heng issued an order in a grand manner to the troops and horses in various vassal towns. Gu Qing also ordered the Anxi Army to march out in three groups to meet the enemy. In Chang'an, the capital, 30,000 Shuofang troops were pinned down in the palace by the Anxi Army who stayed behind. Who dared to

Just one step outside the palace is a bloody battle to the death.

The attempt to borrow troops from Huihe failed, and the attempt to use Shi Siming's rebels to contain them also failed. In the end, even the cunning method of surprise assassination was used, but in the end the situation was over.

At the critical juncture, Li Longji's sudden visit made it clear that the relationship between the two parties has reached a showdown stage. Each has put their chips on the gambling table, and the outcome will depend on fate.

"I am a minister of the Tang Dynasty. The Heavenly Family treats you well. Why are you so aggressive and want to commit treacherous acts?" Li Longji sighed.

Gu Qing smiled and asked his servants to bring the food and wine. Then he filled up the wine for Li Longji and raised the glass to him.

Li Longji did not move. The relationship between them is no longer that of sitting together and drinking. In this palace, Li Longji will not drink a drop of water or eat a morsel of food.

Gu Qing didn't mind either. He drank the whole glass of wine and showed the bottom of the glass to Li Longji.

"Your Majesty only has imperial power and the throne of the Emperor in his eyes. You only care about who sits on it, but you don't care about what you should do after sitting on it. I have to say that from the year I got to know Your Majesty, I have been very disappointed in Him.

."

Li Longji was startled. It was rare for anyone to speak so rudely in front of him. After more than 40 years of Kaiyuan Tianbao, he became more and more accustomed to the flattery of courtiers, and he became increasingly intolerant of unfavorable advice.

Then Li Longji's expression became depressed again.

Yes, Gu Qing dares to say what others dare not say. In terms of strength, Gu Qing and Li Longji are equal. In the near future, he may also be the gravedigger of Li Tang's century-old dynasty.

"You are not the emperor, and you don't know the emperor's difficulties. If you sit in that position, you will not do better than me and Heng'er, maybe it will only be worse." Li Longji said coldly: "The king of a country, the court will meet

At that time, we were facing thousands of courtiers, all of whom had their own agendas. Some formed their own factions, some were willing to do anything for power, some were living without food, and there were also those who were seeking fame and fame, those who catered to the incompetent, and those who violated the law..."

"Not only can I not kill these people, but I also have to use them. I am always thinking about balancing the situation in the court, and how to suppress and win over them. Only when the court is stable can the world be stable. I have been on the throne for more than 40 years, and I have spent every day thinking like this.

, and also created a prosperous age with his own hands, Gu Qing, do you have such ability? Do you think you can do better than me by sitting in that position? "

Gu Qing sighed: "You only care about the court, but forget to protect the world. You are too busy, busy calculating people's hearts, but you can't see the suffering of the people. The so-called prosperous times are just trees planted by predecessors, and you failed.

The national foundation that the late emperors such as Taizong, Gaozong and Empress Wu worked so hard to accumulate is obviously a very shameful thing. Why do you feel so complacent when you say it? Your Majesty, just a rebellion has caused the prosperity of the prosperous age to fall apart.

Don’t you understand why the so-called prosperous age is so fragile?”

Li Longji was furious. Creating the prosperous age of Kaiyuan with his own hands was the only thing worth showing off in his life. This was his weakness and his rebellion. Anyone who denies the prosperous age he created is his sworn enemy.

"You are so arrogant! You actually said that my prosperity was due to my predecessors planting trees? Don't you know how hard I worked in the early days of the Kaiyuan Dynasty?" Li Longji became furious and started to fight.

Gu Qing was unmoved, and said calmly: "The whole dynasty sang praises, and the people sold their sons and daughters. In the fourteenth year of Tianbao, before An Lushan rebelled, a poet passed by Fengxian County and met the officials and landlords in the government office.

The hall was full of feasts, but people were dying of hunger in the countryside outside, so he wrote a poem, which included a sentence, 'The wine and meat in Zhumen are smelly, and there are frozen bones on the road'..."

"Your Majesty, you should remember this poem deeply in your heart and taste it carefully. What the prosperous age in your mouth is like should not be in the memorials of courtiers praising virtues. There is no suffering among the people. You are just living in your own imagination.

In the prosperous times."

Li Longji's face was ashen, his nostrils were dilated, and he was breathing heavily.

"I don't believe it! You must have arranged it maliciously and messed with my heart. How could the prosperous age I created with my own hands be like this?"

Gu Qing sighed helplessly: "Your Majesty, I don't want to argue with you. When you escaped from Chang'an City, didn't you believe what you heard and saw along the way?"

Staring into Li Longji's eyes, Gu Qing said coldly: "Your Majesty, you are already old. You can live your life in peace and contentment in the palace. There are ministers who will take care of your Majesty's affairs in the world."

There seemed to be a thunderbolt exploding in his mind, and Li Longji sat back down heavily with a pale face.

There was no need to hide my disobedience, I just said it in front of my face without any scruples.

"You...really want to rebel?" Li Longji said with difficulty.

Gu Qing smiled bitterly and said: "Everyone in the world thinks that I will rebel, but I really don't want to rebel..."

Carrying a futon and sitting across from Li Longji, Gu Qing sat down cross-legged, poured a glass of wine and handed it to Li Longji, saying: "If your Majesty is free today, why don't you listen to what is on your mind?"

Li Longji was so confused that he subconsciously took the wine and drank it all in one gulp. After finishing the drink, he was shocked to realize that he shouldn't have drank this glass of wine. If Gu Qing had poisoned the wine...

However, Gu Qing poured himself a glass of wine with a calm expression and drank it all in one gulp.

Li Longji's panicked eyes finally relaxed. He raised his head and looked at Gu Qing again, only to see a flash of ridicule in Gu Qing's eyes, which seemed to be mocking his villainous heart. Li Longji couldn't help but smile bitterly.

That's right, with his current strength, if he wanted to usurp the throne, why would he use such a despicable method as poisoning?

Sitting opposite Li Longji, Gu Qing said leisurely: "I was born in a mountain village in Shuzhou. I suffered from poverty since I was a child. I was so hungry that I could only go to the mountains to dig wild vegetables to fill my stomach. Fortunately, I later learned to catch fish, and I accidentally

I accidentally discovered the skill of making porcelain, and my life gradually improved..."

"I have always been born in poverty. Even though I am now a highly respected minister and a prince, I have never forgotten my origin in my heart. I have always regarded myself as a poor person. For several years, I have been sitting in my current position.

For the poor, we should find a way out for the poor in the world and help them live a better life in the future..."

"You say I'm ambitious, you say I'm rebellious, you say I usurp the country, you say I'm good at everything, everyone in the world is drunk and I'm sober, I know what I want to do, my parents were respected knights, they

"My life was not long, I did many things to support justice, and I died a heroic death. Some people once said that I was not as good as my parents, but I said, I must be better than them."

"A chivalrous heart can only save ten people and a hundred people. There are so many injustices in the world. What's the use of saving a few people? What I want to do is to save people in the world. This is my original intention and my ambition..."

A sarcastic smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, Gu Qing smiled and filled a glass of wine for Li Longji, and said: "Your Majesty, do you think that after doing so much over the years and reaching this point, you really just want to be the emperor?"

"Haha, if I wanted to be the emperor, I could have led the army to annihilate the emperor of Lingzhou as early as when I regained Chang'an. Why should I wait until today? What I want is just a court without obstacles and restrictions for me to perform my duties.

Do what you can to make changes, implement new policies, and benefit the people of the world, that's all."

Li Longji didn't believe it at all. He just sneered and said: "These nonsense words sound reasonable, but they can't deceive me. Regardless of whether you want to be the emperor or not, as long as you have heavy troops, you will be a great threat to the court and the emperor, even if you are incompetent.

, just by holding military power, you are the emperor’s sworn enemy. Furthermore, you want to reform the law and implement the New Deal. Without the Emperor, how can the New Deal be implemented? Isn’t this a contradiction in terms? "

Gu Qing nodded and said calmly: "Yes, originally I just wanted to be a powerful minister and implement the New Deal peacefully. When the world is once again prosperous and the people are strong, I will retire to the mountains and forests. Later I figured it out, you are too much trouble.

Too noisy, if we want to implement the New Deal smoothly, we must first deal with you, otherwise the New Deal will be difficult to achieve. To be honest, you and the emperor are not enough to accomplish anything, but they are more than enough to ruin things. Only if you shut up can I get it.

It’s quiet.”

Li Longji was furious: "Gu Qing, you are too arrogant! How can I tolerate you!"

Gu Qing smiled faintly and said: "You can't tolerate it, you can't tolerate it. We are going to fight each other soon. Your Majesty, today is the last confrontation between your Majesty and your Majesty. I have said both good and bad words, loyal words and treasonous words. Your Majesty can't bear to listen."

, I am just playing the piano to a cow, which is of no use..."

Suddenly stood up, Gu Qing coldly lowered his face and said: "In this case, we will see on the battlefield, life and death, victory or defeat, everyone is determined by destiny. If I win, the Supreme Emperor will still be the Supreme Emperor, and the Emperor will still be the Emperor. But from now on, you must shut up."

Mouth, if you can't cure the world, then let me do it."

Li Longji was extremely angry, his face was livid and he gritted his teeth and said: "When I first met you, I regretted that I didn't order you to be killed on the spot! Leave this disaster behind and usurp my country!"

"If the people knew that Your Majesty did not kill me back then, ten or twenty years later, they would bow down to Your Majesty and thank Your Majesty for not killing me."

Li Longji's angry expression suddenly changed. He sat up straight, his face quickly regained his composure, his eyelids were lowered as he stared at the wine cup in front of him, and he said softly: "Gu Qing, do you and I really want to fight each other?"

Gu Qing also calmed down and said softly: "Your Majesty and the Emperor are willing to issue an order to withdraw King Qin's troops from the feudal town?"

Li Longji said nothing, and neither did Gu Qing.

The soldiers and horses have been dispatched, the arrows have left the string, and no one can look back.

In the empty hall, the monarch and his ministers sat facing each other.

A gust of cold wind suddenly blew into the room and rolled up the gauze curtains in the hall. The gauze curtains swung wildly with the wind. The white gauze curtains were like white flags that summoned souls, weeping for the creatures who were about to be buried in the battlefield.

In silence, the hall was filled with murderous intent. Gu Qing and Li Longji looked directly at each other, their eyes full of killing and conquest.

The palace maids who were waiting for orders outside the palace were inexplicably affected by the gloomy atmosphere in the palace. The palace ladies' faces turned pale and their bodies were crumbling. After a long time, one of the palace ladies finally couldn't help but bend down and vomited.

At this time, the people confronting each other in the palace were no longer just the monarch and his ministers, but a face-to-face confrontation between two classes.

The ruler said that you must obey the king's will.

The grassroots said, the sky is dead, you, come down!

After a long time, the cold wind has passed and the gauze curtains have shrunk.

Li Longji took the initiative to pick up the wine cup and saluted Gu Qing.

"This glass of wine is dedicated to my enemies. Drink it to win!" Li Longji said and drank it all in one gulp.

Gu Qing also held a glass: "This glass of wine should be poured over the river and sea as a gift to everyone in the world."

After speaking, Gu Qing spilled the wine on the ground.

Li Longji's eyes flashed with astonishment. After a long time, he looked up to the sky and laughed loudly: "Haha, okay! You can tell the true nature of a hero with just one word. Gu Qing, you are worthy of being my enemy. Even if I lose at your hands, I will be honored!"

After saying that, Li Longji stood up and walked away, laughing endlessly as he walked.

Gu Qing stood under the corridor outside the palace, watching Li Longji calmly as he walked to the screen wall at the door of the palace.

Li Longji suddenly stopped and said without looking back: "Gu Qing, we don't know the outcome yet. If I win, I will cut off your head myself. It will not be in vain for you and my enemies."

Gu Qing suddenly laughed. Not only was he not angry, but he bowed and saluted: "Thank you for your majesty's appreciation. It is a blessing in my life to be your majesty's enemy."

"You don't need to thank me. If I lose, I hope you will give me a happy one and don't humiliate me."

After speaking, Li Longji turned around the screen wall and left the house.

Gu Qing stood quietly outside the hall, motionless for a long time, with a complicated expression on his face and he didn't know what he was thinking.

After a long time, Gu Qing suddenly showed murderous intent and shouted: "Where is Han Jie?"
To be continued...