Following the afterglow of the setting sun, Gu Qing climbed up to Chengxiang Hall step by step.

Behind him were thousands of soldiers of the Anxi Army, densely occupying all parts of the palace. The eunuchs and maids in the palace had already fled without a trace. At this moment, all the soldiers in Taiji Palace as far as the eye could see were wearing armor and holding halberds.

Gu Qing walked to Chengxiang Hall alone. Even though the situation was completely under control at this moment, his behavior was still meticulous and did not overstep anything.

Under the corridor in front of the palace, Gu Qing took off his sword, took off his shoes, put on his full clothes and entered the palace.

Walking into the palace, Gu Qing raised his eyes and stared at Li Longji and Li Heng in front of him. He bowed and bowed: "My lord, I pay homage to Your Majesty, His Majesty the Supreme Emperor."

Li Heng stood in the hall with his hair disheveled, his expression seemed to be fearful or angry. Hearing this, he sneered: "You don't have to call me a minister, you can call me 'me'. The world is yours, why do you have to show off."

"A minister will always be a minister, and the emperor will always be the emperor."

Li Heng looked at Li Longji. Li Longji's face was as dark as water, and he pursed his lips without saying a word.

Li Heng said coldly: "Now that the matter has come to this, Gu Qing, what do you want? Kill our father and son and proclaim yourself emperor, or establish a new king and hold the emperor hostage to order the princes?"

Gu Qing lowered his eyes and said: "I have no other intentions. I just want to do something practical for the world. Anyone who stops me will be my enemy, including the emperor."

Li Heng's body trembled and he couldn't help but said: "You do practical things for the world, why do you lead your troops to force the palace? How have I ever stopped you from doing things?"

"If you want to appease the world, you must first purify the palace. Why do you have to deceive yourself today? You and I will eventually have a battle. I am not a sage, and I cannot surrender my hands and let you slaughter me. Whether it is to save myself or to change the world, a battle will determine the world and destroy it.

Only when I defeat the enemy can I do what I want to do."

Li Heng said angrily: "It's a high-sounding statement. You are clearly plotting to rebel and force the palace to disrupt our country!"

A sarcastic smile appeared on Gu Qing's lips: "What kind of chaos can this country be? Your Majesty lives in the forbidden palace, why don't you open your eyes and see how the people in the world are living?"

At this point, Gu Qing no longer had any scruples. He gradually straightened up, his whole body sharp and sharp. He stared at the noble father and son in front of him with cold eyes. He pointed his finger at Li Longji unceremoniously and said: "His Majesty the Emperor is here for the fourth time.

For more than ten years, it is undeniable that the first twenty years have indeed been a wise emperor. If the emperor can always maintain this, why would I do such a treacherous thing? Isn't it easy to be a small official at the feet of the emperor, but to be a rich man?

"

Li Longji's face suddenly turned livid, his nostrils were dilated, and he was breathing hard. However, under Gu Qing's sharp edge, the Taiping Emperor of more than 40 years did not dare to refute the accusation.

"The prosperous age of Kaiyuan, a great situation that has never been seen in ancient times. From the three emperors to a thousand years later, the prosperous age of Kaiyuan is the only bright spot in history. Your Majesty, the great age, why did it fall apart overnight? Just because An

Is Lushan rebelling?"

"In fact, the seeds of disaster have already been laid, because in the last twenty years of your reign, you have become complacent and arrogant. After creating a prosperous era, you indulged in pleasure. You have alienated virtuous ministers and trusted villains, such as Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong. These disasters have

The people of the country deceived the superiors and subordinates, and coaxed you into a happy mood, but they exploited and abused the people of the world, and you, immersed in the civil and military achievements of the entire dynasty, could not extricate yourself..."

"Not only that, you also think that you are clever at calculating people's hearts and balancing the situation of the court. Today you suppress this one and win over that one tomorrow. The situation of the court is indeed balanced, but you have made the whole court a mess. Everyone in the court is in danger and flattering.

"The invitation to Mei is the custom of the court, but you are complacent, thinking that you have created a prosperous age and controlled people's hearts. You are a complete fool."

Ignoring Li Longji who was about to faint with anger, Gu Qing looked at Li Heng again and sneered: "As for your Majesty, you are even worse than the Supreme Emperor. In the early days of his reign, the Supreme Emperor was at least a wise king who worked hard to govern. And your Majesty, after you ascend the throne You were selfish from the beginning. In order to allow you to ascend the throne smoothly, you sent envoys to my camp and promised various benefits in order to ask me to support you in ascending the throne and proclaiming yourself emperor."

"After you became the emperor, you changed your appearance. All the royal divisions were still working for His Majesty to suppress the rebellion, so you planned to kill people with borrowed swords. In the battle of Tongguan, you ordered the Shuofang army to escape before the battle, leaving the Anxi army to face the rebels alone. "

"After you returned to the capital, you didn't even think about the Anxi Army quelling the rebellion for you. Instead, you were very hostile. In order to eliminate the Anxi Army, you secretly promised to plunder the city for three days as reward, and used the troops of the foreign Uighurs to lure the wolf into the house. All you wanted was to destroy the Anxi Army. Throw me away, haha, the emperor regards the lives of the people under his rule as nothing, and actually sacrifices them as cattle, sheep and livestock to foreign countries. How can you be worthy of being the emperor with such a shameless face? You are not even worthy of being a human being."

The words were very unpleasant. The Li family's father and son trembled with anger when they heard the words, and their faces turned green and white. The only sounds in the hall were the father and son's rapid breathing.

"Gu Qing, you... you are bullying someone too much! Even if I am defeated, I am still the emperor of the dynasty. Scholars can be killed but not humiliated. How can you humiliate me like this?" Li Heng said, trembling all over.

Gu Qing sneered and said: "You two are above me. I'm afraid you haven't heard such an unpleasant truth in many years, right? Although the truth is unpleasant, every word is true. If anything I say is wrong, you can refute it."

The father and son did not refute, they had nothing to refute. What Gu Qing said was the truth, every word was the truth, but it was very ugly. The truth is often cruel and ugly.

Gu Qing rubbed his brows tiredly and sighed: "I am a humble citizen. I was just a farmer in a mountain village in Shuzhou. When I was young, I didn't even have enough to eat. By chance, I came to Chang'an to serve as an official. I just want to be a small official in the prosperous times, wandering around leisurely every day, and spending my life lazily..."

"However, when I saw the people who had their land taken over and had to become refugees, and the farmers who had to sell themselves into slavery in order to survive, I had to think about whether I should do something for these poor people for the rest of my life. What……"

Looking up at them, Gu Qing sighed: "The world has been ruined by you and your son, but you don't know it. You are still immersed in the dream of a prosperous age. You never know how bad the world is actually. You are still hiding in the palace. You two are playing tricks on people's hearts and minds. The people of the world may need an emperor, but they definitely don't need an emperor like you."

Li Longji said with a livid face and a sneer: "You have said so much, but in fact it is just a cover-up. Your purpose is just to overthrow us and become the emperor yourself. Why do you pretend to be in the name of righteousness? The matter has come to this, why don't you be more frank, If you simply say that you want to ascend the throne and claim the title of ruler, I, my father and my son are in your control, and I dare not disobey."

Gu Qing looked directly into Li Longji's eyes and said slowly: "I have said many times that the emperor is still the emperor, and the emperor is still the emperor. But from now on, you will enjoy yourself in the harem. In the affairs of the world, I am willing to serve you two Your Majesty shares your worries, since you are not worthy of being the emperor, I will do the emperor's work with courtesy."

"From today on, the imperial palace in Chang'an of the Tang Dynasty will be closed. All affairs of the world will be decided by the memorial court. The affairs of various states and counties will no longer pass through the palace, nor will they be handled by the emperor. Since I am the minister, I should handle the affairs of the world for your majesty. , you two can rest assured that you can pamper your concubine in the harem, have children, and enjoy your family life in peace."

Li Longji laughed angrily: "Okay, you are telling the truth. Gu Qing, your intention of holding the emperor hostage to control the princes is no longer concealed today."

Gu Qing also smiled: "If you insist on saying that, then... well, I will use the emperor to order the princes."

Li Longji was stunned when he heard Gu Qing speak so nakedly.

Gu Qing continued: "Your Majesty, I would like to ask for two more orders. First, today's disturbance is not a mutiny, but there are rebels in the palace who intend to assassinate the emperor. The Anxi Army was ordered to thoroughly investigate the palace, and now the rebels have been arrested.

After capturing it, Shuofang's army was deeply infiltrated by the remnants of the rebels. I requested Shuofang's army to withdraw from the palace and guard the palace, and the defense of Taiji Palace and Xingqing Palace was taken over by Anxi Army."

"Secondly, the assassination attempt by the rebels today failed, but Your Majesty was deeply frightened and fell ill, unable to manage the affairs of state. I would like to ask His Majesty to issue an order to order Gu Qing to act as regent.

I will take charge of the affairs on my behalf and return the power to you after Your Majesty is well."

Listening to Gu Qing's request for power so straightforwardly, Li Longji and Li Heng were so angry that they felt dizzy.

Li Heng gritted his teeth and said, "Gu Qing, do you think I will agree?"

Gu Qing said calmly: "Your Majesty will definitely agree."

"Why?"

"Because if Your Majesty does not agree, then I will have to change my words. Today, the rebels have sneaked into the palace to assassinate the Emperor. Your Majesty, Long Yu, has passed away. I have to choose another obedient prince from among the many princes of the Supreme Emperor."

The successor emperor..."

Gu Qing stared at Li Heng's face, his eyes suddenly filled with murderous intent, and said coldly: "You and I both know that these are lies to fool outsiders, but one thing is true, that is, His Majesty is really Long Yu

Returned to heaven."

Li Heng's face changed drastically. Facing Gu Qing's murderous eyes, he couldn't help but tremble all over. He was speechless and looked extremely frightened.

He knew that Gu Qing's words were not a threat.

After successfully forcing the emperor to marry him, and with the power in his hands, it no longer mattered who the emperor was. It would be more beneficial to Gu Qing to replace him with an obedient one.

After Gu Qing finished speaking, he glanced deeply at the two of them, then turned around and prepared to leave.

After the showdown, Gu Qing only felt exhausted as he walked step by step from Shuzhou Shiqiao Village to Tai Chi Palace. At this moment, as long as he was willing, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty had to crawl at his feet.

It seems... that success is enough?

But why do I still feel so tired?

Gu Qing looked outside the hall.

The setting sun outside the hall has disappeared below the horizon, but there is still a fiery red afterglow on the horizon.

It is getting dark, but it will be dawn soon, and the cycle starts again and again, just like the cycle of thousands of years of dynasty changes. How can the thousands of fortunes in the world come from? It is just one cycle of rise and fall.

Gu Qing is just one of them.

What makes him feel tired may be that he knows that everything today is not the end, on the contrary, it is just the beginning.

Next, we must govern this country on behalf of the emperor, quell the criticisms of the government and the opposition, start changing the world, operate on the land, and maintain a balance between compromise and argument, gradually weakening the interests of the powerful, and seeking for the common people of the world.

blessing……

There are so many things to do, so much that Gu Qing feels tired just thinking about it.

Maybe I have done so much throughout my life, but in the end I am only remembered as a "treacherous traitor" in the history books.

Does it make sense?

Gu Qing was confused, and his steps gradually became hesitant.

Outside the palace gate, there were pairs of hot and excited eyes. The soldiers of the Anxi Army looked at him. This young coach led them step by step from the impoverished Kucha City to the Yumen Pass and the capital city.

, walked into the palace.

They don't know where they will go in the future, they don't know where the stars and the sea are. They only know that they obey the commander-in-chief, and the commander-in-chief will not treat them badly.

"Long live the prince!"

I don't know which soldier suddenly shouted this very taboo word.

The word "Long live" was originally not taboo. Before the Song Dynasty, people could also say "Long live" in their blessings, and the royal family was not taboo.

It's just that in this situation today, the soldiers shouted "Long live", but it was really a bit taboo.

Soon, all the soldiers were shouting at the top of their lungs.

"Long live the prince!"

"Wang Tianxia, ​​bring peace!"

Gu Qing stopped. The father and son behind him were shaking all over. Li Longji's feet went weak and he could no longer stand.

Looking at the thousands of cheering soldiers, Gu Qing finally had a hint of warmth in his eyes, and his expression no longer hesitated.

"Thousands of years are too far away, and ten thousand years is too long. I cannot see it. But in my lifetime, at least the people will not be poor or hungry, nor will they sell their children to survive. Everyone will have land to cultivate, and everyone will enjoy peace.

That's enough." Gu Qing murmured.

His expression gradually became firmer, and a rare heroic spirit suddenly appeared in his heart, and he looked up to the sky and burst into laughter.

"So what if you usurp the country and be a traitor? So what if you are reviled by the ages? I, Gu Qing, only live in this life, and I don't care what future generations say! As long as the people don't scold me, everything I do in this life will be meaningful!"

Just as he was about to walk out of the hall, there was a burst of hurried footsteps.
To be continued...