The Emperor Reigns Them All

The sun shone inside the West Garden brightly. The lake was shimmering and fishes were swimming freely, which was a lazy scene. It was also a good day for fun outside. But after Wei Baoheng had said that two words, Li Cui apparently felt that today's winter wind was extremely cold and chill.

Li Xian.

Only Li Cui himself knew how much weight of this name to him. And only Li Cui himself knew how many nightmares he had had because of Li Xian.

During Li Cui's life of being an emperor, Li Xian was the only person of whom he was afraid and whom he feared. In every day when Li Xian was alive, Li Cui always felt that the throne was like a stove melting him at any moment.

First in military exploits, first in political achievements, first in cultivation, the emperor's sword given by the last emperor, having his own palace and army and enjoying the same treatment of Three Ministries, as well as followers and subordinates all over the world... Even if a minister with a different surname had one of the achievements, the narrow-minded emperor would fear him.

Li Xian wasn't a minister with a different surname, but he was a youth of the Imperial Clan.

When Emperor Xuanzong was alive, he kept Li Xian company day and night and spared no effort to guide Li Xian every day.

When Li Cui had not yet ascended the throne, rumors had it that the revival of the country by Xuanzong would be able to carry forward if the throne was passed to Li Xian... He would even be able to reproduce the brilliant of Tang Empire!

Carry forward the brilliant of Tang Empire!

Li Cui clenched his fists and gnashed his teeth secretly, hatred flashing in his eyes.

In Xuanzong's whole life, he didn't appoint the Heir Prince. When he was seriously ill, many ministers thought that this brave and wise emperor would make an exception to pass the throne to Li Xian because Li Xian was a descendant of Xuanzong's elder brother and given the emperor's sword by Xuanzong!

The Luke Sword was called the emperor's sword because it belonged to the emperor!

Xuanzong didn't appoint the Heir Prince, but he instructed Li Xian day and night. He also ordered Li Xian to lead the army and political affairs. After Li Xian had made contributions, Xuanzong gave the emperor's sword to him... In Li Cui's view, all the signs showed that Xuanzong wanted to pass the throne to Li Xian. Why would he do that?

Li Cui got up angrily and swung his sleeves. Facing the lake, he stood with his hands behind his back.

At that year, Li Cui's cultivation was average. He didn't have a good reputation and he was not favored. It was unexpected that he could ascend the throne. It was just because he was chosen by the Lieutenant of the Regal Guards at that time.

Moreover, Xuanzong died young and he died of illness suddenly, beyond everyone's expectation!

Even Xuanzong himself didn't expect that he would be seriously ill and unconscious so that many of his plans came to naught.

After Li Cui had ascended the throne, Li Xian fought for many years without a defeat and governed places without a bad name. He made so many contributions that he had military and political power in hand. No more rewards could be given to him. His fame spread all over the country and all people respected him and spoke highly of him.

So... there was the Battle of Bagong Mountain.

"Tell me! Why do you bring up Li Xian?" Li Cui asked a word by a word. "You'd better give me a satisfactory reason!"

The emperor was furious, so Wei Baoheng quickly bowed to the ground to show his fear. He said hastily, "His Majesty, Li Xian is dead, so we don't need to fear him, but Li Xian's former trusted subordinates..."

"Don't you get rid of all his trusted subordinates?!" Li Cui asked without turning back.

Wei Baoheng answered, "I did get rid of many of them, but Li Xian was very powerful in the imperial court and some of his trusted subordinates had outstanding cultivation, so I couldn't kill them all and some of them ran away..."

"So what? Only a few insects have run away. Are they able to overthrow me? Now that Li Xian is dead, will they rebel?!" Li Cui swung his sleeves and said seriously.

Wei Baoheng said, "Normally, they won't, but now things have some changes."

"What changes?"

"This change is Li Ye!"

"What's wrong with Li Ye?"

"Li Ye's cultivation has already reached Level 5 of Qi-refining!"

"What are you talking about?! This is impossible! It isn't a long time after he has achieved the Qi-refining Stage?!"

"His Majesty, please don't forget that Li Ye has got Celestial Master Yuan's inheritance in Cloud-engulfed Mountain!"

"Yuan Tiangang..."

"In Tang Empire, no one has ever made it to the Realm of Celestial Master Yuan... Rumors have it that after Celestial Master Yuan has left Chang'an, his Realm is very likely above the Spiritual Master Realm!"

"Above the Spiritual Master Realm? That's impossible! Would he become an immortal?"

"Your Majesty..."

"Even if Li Ye has made rapid progress in cultivation, what can he do? In my empire, he can do nothing with only himself. If I give him a reward, he can only take it. If I give him destruction, he can only be thankful!"

"But Li Ye is not alone now!"

"What do you mean?"

"Wang Duo, Lu Yan and the others have a close relationship with Li Ye!"

"Wang Duo? This old guy, who strives for fame, always gives me a hard time in the name of giving me sincere advice!"

"In addition, I've learned that there's a group of cultivators of high-level Qi-refining gathering in Prince An's Manor!"

"High-level Qi-refining? Will a cultivator of high-level Qi-refining work for a four-class official?"

"There is only one possibility!"

"These people are Li Xian's former followers and trusted subordinates?"

"You're right!"

Li Cui didn't speak and stared at the lake without moving.

Wei Baoheng couldn't see Li Cui's face, so he couldn't figure out Li Cui's thoughts. But Li Cui's shoulder was shaking slightly, which showed that he wasn't calm.

Li Cui's reaction let Wei Baoheng gradually have confidence in his heart. As Li Cui's closest minister, he knew very well about the emperor and he knew how to hit him where it hurt.

If Li Xian's former followers really gathered around Li Ye, Li Ye might know the fact of Li Xian's murder. After all, there was something fishy about Li Xian's death. If his followers weren't aware of it, they would be too incompetent. No matter they knew the truth or not, Li Cui had to watch out for them and suspect them.

Wei Baoheng's purpose of entering the Imperial Palace wasn't to slander Li Ye.

Slandering was just a means.

Wei Baoheng suddenly hit against the ground with his head and said sadly, "Your Majesty, I'm guilty!"

"Say it!" Li Cui said in a heavy tone.

"My former followers recently colluded with the river bandits in the Wei River to rob the Autumn Gifts of the imperial court!" Wei Baoheng cried bitterly. "I didn't find out earlier. I'm guilty. Your Majesty, please punish me!"

"Your former followers?"

"Yes!" Wei Baoheng was very distressed. "Since I have noticed their bad dispositions, I kicked them out! But I didn't expect that they would do bad things everywhere in my name as soon as they left me... I should die for my guilt! At present, I don't know how Li Ye captured these followers in the Huangli County and brought them back to the Chang'an Office!"

"Moreover, moreover Duke Wang and Duke Lu have already begun to investigate it! I know that Duke Wang and I always have different political opinions and we often have disputes. This time, my former followers were caught by Duke Wang. I have no idea how he will frame me! I know that I cannot escape the guilt, so I plead guilty to you first!"

Li Cui kept silent again.

Kneeling on the ground, Wei Baoheng kept apologizing.

After quite a while, Li Cui said slowly, "You and Wang Duo have been at odds, while Li Ye has a close relationship with Wang Duo and Lu Yan. What's more, Li Xian's former followers appear in Prince An's Manor again... It seems that someone has taken advantage of your dispute with Wang Duo to take revenge on you by Wang Duo!"

Wei Baoheng looked surprised and puzzled. "Your Majesty, I, I can't understand."

Li Cui snorted and said confidently, "What's not to understand? It's obvious that Li Ye is very likely to have learned the truth of the Battle of Bagong Mountain from Li Xian's former followers and understand that the people who killed Li Xian at that day were arranged by you so he is going to take revenge on you! However, you are the ruling Prime Minister with great power and many masters on your side, so it's very difficult for him to deal with you. So what do you think he should do now?"

"This, this..." Wei Baoheng looked panic and continued to play dumb, therefore, Li Cui could play the wit to discover "the truth" by himself so that he could have a sense of achievement of seeing through everything.

Wei Baoheng was trembling all over and looked very uneasy. "I don't know..."

"It's very simple." Li Cui really fell for it. He followed up the clues that Wei Baoheng had given to him to think of the matter in the way that Wei Baoheng hoped. "Li Ye needs to borrow the power of others! So Wang Duo and the others, who don't get along with you, are the best choices. Li Ye will definitely make an issue of your former followers' misdeeds. Wang Duo and the others will exaggerate embellishments to the matter in order to bring you down... I estimate that you will bear a lot of accusations, even including the rebellion!"

Speaking of this, Li Cui smiled with self-satisfaction in his eyes as if he was a famous general who saw through the enemy's strategy and who commanded his troops to destroy millions of enemies.

"Ah? How could it be?" Wei Baoheng stunned for a while, and then he kept kowtowing. "Your Majesty, please help me, please help me! I know that I don't manage my followers well. I won't escape my crime and I'm willing to be punished. But I don't want to be set up by dirty dogs so that I no longer have a chance to serve you! Your Majesty..."

"Well, get up." Li Cui waved his hand, appearing a wise look with self-satisfaction. "You're my Prime Minister, so how can I let you be in trouble? Rest assured. As long as I am here, your position is as stable as Mount Tai!"

"Thank you! I cannot repay you for your great favor..."

"Summon the minister of the Central Judicial Department!"

...

When Wei Baoheng went out of the Changle Gate, he looked up at the sky and breathed a deep sigh of relief.

Li Cui summoned the minister of the Central Judicial Department to draw up the imperial edict just now and let him go to the Chang'an Office to take over Chen Jianghe's case.

The important officials in the Central Judicial Department were promoted by Wei Baoheng personally and they were his trusted followers. The Central Judicial Department took over the witness and heard the case of the Huangli County, so he had the final say of the case. The result was self-evident.

Not only could he minimize the problem into nothing, but also he could put the blame on them reversely and accuse Li Ye, Wang Duo and the others of falsely accusing the Prime Minister... It would certainly be an interesting development for Wei Baoheng.

Wei Baoheng smiled.

There was the biggest difference between the wise emperor and the incompetent emperor. The former would listen to both sides, while the latter would only listen to one side.

Listen to both sides and he would be enlightened; heed only one side and he would be benighted. If he was a wise emperor, he wouldn't listen to Wei Baoheng's one-sided words because of his personal likes and dislikes and he would gather Wang Duo, Lu Yan, Li Ye and the others to know the matter in detail.

But Li Cui wouldn't do that.

Wei Baoheng knew that Li Cui wouldn't do that.

He knew Li Cui too well.

From the moment he intended to say the name, "Li Xian", he knew that Li Cui's very little reason would be washed away by hatred and fear, so it was natural for Li Cui to stand on his side.

Li Cui might not be so muddle-headed that he would investigate Li Ye immediately, but at least he would stand on Wei Baoheng's side in this case because of his suspicion of Li Ye.

"Want to bring me down? You all think it too easy!"

Wei Baoheng snorted, swung his sleeves, and walked to his magnificent carriage in high spirits. He thought, "My position as the ruling Prime Minister depends on two factors, His Majesty's favor, and my wisdom. As long as I'm not stupid, His Majesty's favor will be lasting. As long as His Majesty trusts me, all the things you have done will be in vain!"

Sitting in the carriage, Wei Baoheng no longer worried about the matter of Chen Jianghe. He began to think about how to please Li Cui with new tricks... Touring the East Capital? Offering exotic beauties? Building a huge dragon boat?

In Wei Baoheng's view, this was the most important issue.

What a pair of the incompetent emperor and the treacherous minister!