LRAB Page 153
Page 153
Qi Tianchen said with a mournful face, "We can't make that decision..."
Yuan Tiangang gave a helpless bitter smile: "So we're just going to wait it out like this?"
Qi Tianchen was filled with emotion, and finally collapsed to the ground, saying listlessly, "I think we shouldn't kneel anymore, it's pointless anyway..."
"Ugh…"
Yuan Tiangang sighed and said helplessly, "Then we should go back and report this matter to His Majesty, and let His Majesty make a decision?"
As they spoke, Yuan Tiangang and Qi Tianchen helped each other up slowly...
"Let's go back and report..." Yuan Tiangang sighed helplessly.
Said.
Qi Tianchen nodded, and they walked towards the foot of the mountain...
.........
Inside the Tang Dynasty palace, in the imperial study, Li Shimin was reviewing memorials. He looked up at Changsun Wuji and said, "Prime Minister Changsun, shouldn't the Imperial Preceptor and the Bad Guy Commander have returned by now?"
Changsun Wuji said with a smile, "Your Majesty, according to our spies, the Imperial Preceptor and the Commander of the Unruly Army have already returned to the capital!"
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin put down his pen and said with delight, "It seems their mission has been accomplished. The existence of Ye Fan, the Martial Saint of the Mortal Realm, will inevitably be of use to the royal family!"
Changsun Wuji has always been meticulous. If Qi Tianchen and Yuan Tiangang had completed their mission, they should have returned with the Martial Saint of the Mortal Realm. Why were they the only ones who returned?
Then, after thinking about it again, he realized that Ye Fan, the Martial Saint of the Mortal Realm, might need to continue cultivating at Wangjian Mountain, and he felt relieved!
The Grand Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty and the Bad Guy Commander both went; wouldn't the Martial Saint of the Mortal World give them face?
After all, the two of them represent the Tang Dynasty royal family!
After figuring these things out, Changsun Wuji had no more worries!
"Yes, Your Majesty is absolutely right. With a martial saint among men, the Tang Dynasty will surely prosper forever!" Changsun Wuji said flatteringly.
Li Shimin laughed heartily, in a pleasant mood!
Just then, an announcement rang out from outside: "Your Majesty, the Imperial Preceptor and the Commander of the Unruly Guards request an audience!"
"Oh? Quickly invite them in!" Li Shimin said excitedly.
Soon, Qi Tianchen and Yuan Tiangang entered the Imperial Study.
When Li Shimin saw the two men's disheveled appearance, he asked in surprise, "What happened to the Imperial Advisor and the Bad Commander?"
Qi Tianchen and Yuan Tiangang both looked ashamed and lowered their heads in remorse.
"Your Majesty, we have failed to live up to your expectations!" Qi Tianchen said with a guilty bow.
Li Shimin quickly said, "My two ministers, don't worry, don't worry, what has happened?"
Qi Tianchen gritted his teeth and said, "Ye Fan, the Martial Saint of the Mortal Realm, is unwilling to join our Great Tang Dynasty, let alone submit!"
"What?" Li Shimin was shocked and said, "I have already shown him enough sincerity and dignity!"
Yuan Tiangang angrily said, "Your Majesty, Ye Fan is utterly arrogant. The Imperial Advisor and I knelt before him, begging him to become the son-in-law of our Great Tang, but he completely ignored us. Your Majesty, we are utterly loyal to you and swear to serve you to the death!"
Upon hearing this, Changsun Wuji exclaimed in surprise, "Does the Martial Saint of the Mortal Realm truly not wish to become the son-in-law of the Tang Dynasty? This is something that countless people would dream of. Does the Martial Saint of the Mortal Realm think that our Tang Dynasty is not strong enough?"
"No, that's not true." Yuan Tiangang shook his head and explained, "The Martial Saint of the Mortal Realm is also Ye Xiaoying's adopted son, yet he disregarded everything and refused to marry the princess despite the imperial decree!"
Yuan Tiangang smiled wryly, "Your Majesty, we have tried to reason with you and appeal to your emotions, but Ye Fan still insists on his own opinion and will not back down at all! Your Majesty, what should we do?"
Qi Tianchen sighed helplessly and said, "Your Majesty, your subject and the Bad Commander knelt in his courtyard for three days and three nights. We are representatives of the Tang Dynasty royal family, but this Martial Saint Ye Fan didn't take us seriously at all. Your Majesty, you must uphold justice for us!"
After a moment of silence, Li Shimin asked, "Did the Imperial Advisor and the Commander of the Unruly Army speak with him?"
Qi Tianchen shook his head and said, "His attitude has always been very clear: he is unwilling to join the Tang Dynasty!"
Yuan Tiangang sighed and said, "Alas... we have no choice. What can we do? He is the Martial Saint of the Mortal Realm..."
Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty sat on his dragon throne, listening to Qi Tianchen and Yuan Tiangang's reports. His face was filled with anger, and after a long silence, he said:
"Ye Fan, the Martial Saint of the Mortal Realm, is exceptionally intelligent. I do not believe he cannot see the sincerity of the Great Tang Dynasty. Why then does he insist on refusing our offer of recruitment? Is it merely because of his arrogant personality, or is there some other reason?"
Qi Tianchen immediately replied, "Your Majesty, that is also what I thought. Unfortunately, the Martial Saint of the Mortal Realm refused very thoroughly, and we had no other choice but to report this matter to Your Majesty."
Li Shimin frowned, lost in deep thought. Suddenly, he slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, his eyes turning icy as he said, "The Martial Saint of the Mortal Realm is unwilling to join the Tang Dynasty, much less be used by it... But he is too powerful..."
Changsun Wuji naturally knew what Li Shimin was worried about!
Ye Fan, the current Martial Saint of the Mortal Realm, is incredibly powerful. He easily crushed Qi Tianchen and Yuan Tiangang, who were both in the Divine Realm!
If he were to truly rebel, even the entire Imperial Guard of the capital would likely be unable to stop him.
Now Li Shimin naturally harbored murderous intent and was even more worried that Ye Fan would join other forces. At this moment, he wished he could send troops to besiege and annihilate Ye Fan.
But the reputation of the Martial Saint of the Mortal Realm is simply too great!
Changsun Wuji stepped forward and said earnestly, "Your Majesty, how about we do what we did back then..."
"No!"
Li Shimin immediately shook his head, narrowed his eyes, and said, "The Martial Saint of the Mortal Realm is different from the major case of that year..."
Mentioning this, both Qi Tianchen and Yuan Tiangang trembled, their eyes flashing with fear!
Ye Fan, the Martial Saint of the Mortal Realm, possesses enough strength to overturn the entire Great Hall, and might even destroy the Tang Dynasty!
How dare they act recklessly!
"Your Majesty, let's reconsider this matter!" Yuan Tiangang said.
Qi Tianchen nodded: "Your Majesty, neither I nor the Bad Commander are confident of defeating Ye Fan!"
Li Shimin's face was full of trouble and disappointment!
He also knew that Ye Fan, the Martial Saint of the Mortal Realm, was incredibly powerful. He didn't expect that Qi Tianchen and Yuan Tiangang alone could defeat Ye Fan; he just hoped to win him over!
If Ye Fan can be brought into the Tang Dynasty camp, the strength of the Tang Dynasty will be enhanced!
But unexpectedly, Ye Fan, the Martial Saint of the Mortal Realm, was so resolute in his attitude...
“Your Majesty, although the Martial Saint of the Mortal Realm has rejected our Great Tang, he is still the adopted son of General Ye Xiaoying, and in general, he is also a subject of our Great Tang. Why not let General Ye handle this matter?” Yuan Tiangang tentatively suggested.
Li Shimin was slightly taken aback, then said, "We'll discuss this later. You may all leave!"
Qi Tianchen and Yuan Tiangang clasped their hands in greeting, then turned and left!
.........
Inside the Imperial Preceptor's residence...
"Imperial Preceptor, I felt a chill run down my spine when His Majesty mentioned that matter today. Is the Martial Saint of the Mortal Realm really that powerful?" Yuan Tiangang asked with lingering fear.
Qi Tianchen also looked at the Bad Commander Yuan Tiangang with a solemn expression!
"The White Robe Case back then involved the Northern Cold King, and now the Northern Cold King has sided with Ye Fan, the Martial Saint of the Mortal World. If the Northern Cold King finds out about that matter, neither of us can escape the consequences!" Qi Tianchen said worriedly.
Yuan Tiangang snorted coldly and said, "That matter has long been covered up. How can you find out? You're overthinking it."
Qi Tianchen was taken aback upon hearing this, then laughed heartily and said, "That's true! Otherwise, with the temperament of the Northern Cold King, he would have already caused a huge uproar!"
Yuan Tiangang said calmly, "Of course, you and I both know the temperament of the Northern Cold King; he can't stand being wronged! It's just that we can't find any evidence!"
Qi Tianchen nodded in agreement, "Yes! Back then, it even involved that concubine in the palace, but those evidences have long been destroyed, and those people are afraid of the Northern Han King's revenge, so they keep silent! The Northern Han King can't find out anything at all!"
Yuan Tiangang continued, "Since that matter cannot be investigated, what do we have to fear? Even if the Martial Saint of the Mortal Realm is powerful, in my opinion, he is not a man who kills indiscriminately..."
"That's true! But I always feel something's amiss. His Majesty seems quite wary of the Martial Saint among mortals. Tell me, what exactly is His Majesty planning?"
Yuan Tiangang frowned and said, "His Majesty is always meticulous in his actions. I suspect he has another purpose. Why don't we wait and see?"
Qi Tianchen nodded and said, "That concubine in the palace also had a little prince back then, right? I wonder if he's dead or not!"
Yuan Tiangang said, "When Her Majesty ascended the throne, it was shortly after she gave birth to her little prince. Sadly, her little prince died in the palace before he was even a year old!"
Qi Tianchen sighed, "Your Majesty is heartless; after all, it was a life."
Yuan Tiangang smiled bitterly and said, "In this world, imperial power is supreme, the strong prey on the weak, and life and death are decided by the will of the emperor. Who can control that?"
Qi Tianchen nodded in agreement.
Yuan Tiangang continued, "If that prince were still alive, he would probably be around the age of a Martial Saint in the mortal realm!"
Qi Tianchen said, "He should be a little younger than Ye Fan."
Yuan Tiangang said, "What a pity..."
"What a pity! In this situation, all we can do is wait and see, and await His Majesty's decree!"
Qi Tianchen and Yuan Tiangang exchanged a smile and walked out of the Imperial Preceptor's residence!
Yuan Tiangang sighed helplessly and said, "I'm not going to say anything more, I'm going back now..."
Chapter 108 A plan that has been dormant for twenty years is being restarted!
Ye Fan, the Martial Saint of the Mortal Realm, has a profound influence on the world.
Li Shimin was unable to accept his well-intentioned marriage proposal, which ultimately led to this tragic end.
This sense of loss greatly annoyed Li Shimin, but he was helpless to do anything about it.
That's a fantastic opportunity!
Li Shimin had complete faith in Ye Fan's demonstrated abilities.