Chapter 354 Heart-killing
When An Shouzhong returned to the inner palace, his favorite concubine Cao immediately came to greet him and asked curiously, "General, why did you return home so early today?"

"I'm a little tired." An Shouzhong replied, walked slowly to the table, saw the guzheng placed on the table by Cao, sat down, and plucked the strings.

When Cao heard An Shouzhong playing the sad music, she was very surprised and asked, "General, you also understand music?"

An Shouzhong glanced at Cao and said calmly, "My mother is a Han Chinese, a famous geisha in Youzhou. My grandfather is a Turkic. He doesn't understand music, but he likes my mother's beauty, so he took her away."

Cao asked, "Are they in love?"

An Shouzhong did not answer directly, but said to himself: "My grandfather died in the battle against the Turks, and my mother took the opportunity to escape. I was still young at that time, and it was my adoptive father who raised me and let me live with the King of Jin, treating me as his own son."

The King of Jin that An Shouzhong mentioned was An Qingxu.

Cao was a smart person. When she heard An Shouzhong's words, she roughly understood what An Shouzhong meant.

An Shouzhong was trying to convince himself that he was a die-hard An Lushan, but he was also revealing that the current situation was not favorable to them.

Although Cao understood, she did not respond.

An Shouzhong was plucking the strings of the zither with his hands, calculating the next battle plan in his mind. He was trying to do two things at once, and the strings suddenly broke.

An Shouzhong was startled and murmured, "It is fate, not the fault of war!"

……

Changan.

Now the situation is favorable for the court. After Li Heng has conferred titles on the harem, he is finally able to find time to go to the Ten Kings' Residence.

After Crown Prince Li Heng was deposed, he moved from the Eastern Palace to his former residence, Prince Zhong's Mansion.

But he was already a commoner, the plaque of Prince Zhong’s Mansion had been taken down, and nothing could be hung on the door of the mansion.

Li Heng, who was fighting crickets on the ground, looked up and saw Li Heng. His expression was startled and he asked, "Is the emperor here to kill me?"

Li Ying said: "If I kill you, it will make me look insecure. Do you think I am insecure?"

Li Heng sneered: "Didn't Emperor Taizong also kill his brother?"

Li Heng shook his head and smiled, saying: "Do you think your power can be compared with that of Prince Yin? If Prince Yin is alive, many people loyal to him will stir up disputes. If you are alive, how many people are willing to sacrifice their lives for you?"

Li Heng was embarrassed by Li Ying's heart-piercing words. Li Heng's face turned red with anger and he said, "You, you..."

Li Heng said "you" twice but couldn't say anything else.

Zhang, who was standing by, saw Li Heng gasping for breath and hurried forward to help him calm down.

Li Ying said, "I brought you two old friends. Do you want to meet them?"

"No!" Li Heng flatly refused.

But it was no use for Li Heng to speak. As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Caiping and Du Erniang walked into the mansion and stood in the distance.

Li Ying continued, "They are the two people you have been closest to. Ask them if they are willing to do something for you."

Li Heng did not dare to look at Jiang Caiping and Du Erniang. He only said to Li Ying, "Your Majesty, why do you have to insult me ​​like this?"

Li Ying asked, "Where is the congratulatory letter for my ascension to the throne?"

Li Heng asked, "Your Majesty, do you still care about a commoner's congratulatory letter?" "Of course." Li Ying nodded, "I won't beat around the bush with you. Your congratulatory letter can make my succession more convincing, and it can also make those who still think of you give up completely."

Li Heng seemed to have found a point of interest, and said proudly: "What if I would rather die than go?"

"Then I will help you." Li Heng said calmly, "If you don't understand, I will help you understand."

Li Heng was startled and said, "Just now I really thought Your Majesty was not afraid of me at all."

"It's nothing to be afraid of." Li Heng shook his head. "In the 24th year of Kaiyuan, when I left Chang'an for the first time, you sent people to ambush and kill me. If you succeeded to the throne, you would not have let me live until now. I have been kind enough to you. I just come to get back the little reward I deserve. If you can't even satisfy me with this, what's the point of keeping you?"

Li Heng asked, "Your Majesty, do you want to sentence me to death?"

"That's not the case." Li Heng smiled and whispered, "On the day you rebelled, Zoroastrians loyal to An Lushan also started an uprising in Chang'an. I have never settled accounts with them, and they are still hiding in Chang'an. If they kill you, it will be very interesting. At that time, I will announce to the world that you colluded with An Lushan to rebel, and were killed by An Lushan's secret agents after the failure. Everyone has to die, some are heavier than Mount Tai, and some are lighter than a feather. Your death is meaningful in this way."

Li Heng was shocked and stunned for a long while, then said, "I will submit a congratulatory letter later."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, brother." Li Heng was very polite and said with a smile, "In the future, I hope to receive greetings from you during festivals, so that all the expenses in your house can be provided normally. Otherwise, you can't do anything, and you still need your sister-in-law to do knitting and sewing to support you. How can you bear it?"

Li Heng was unwilling, but he could only grit his teeth and said, "Yes."

Li Heng said nothing more, turned around and left, walked to Jiang Caiping and Du Erniang, and said, "If you two have anything to say to him, go ahead."

Jiang Caiping shook her head and said, "Since you have become a monk, you should no longer care about worldly affairs."

Du Erniang was not so magnanimous. She walked up to Li Heng, spat, and turned back.

Li Heng said to Jiang Caiping, "When the time is right, I will implement new policies on Taoist temples and Buddhist temples. You have helped me, so I will protect you, but I hope you can take the lead and cooperate."

Jiang Caiping was slightly surprised and said, "The Tang Dynasty has always been relatively tolerant of Taoist temples and Buddhist temples, Your Majesty..."

Li Ying said, "I have the final say in the Tang Dynasty now. I will treat the people well, but those who do nothing, whether they are the Three Pure Ones or the Buddha, must do what they should do when they come to the Tang Dynasty."

It was the first time that Jiang Caiping heard such outrageous words and she was so frightened that she didn’t know how to respond for a moment.

Li Heng didn't say anything else. He turned around and left Li Heng's house and went to see Li Lin.

Li Lin was even more timid than Li Heng. As soon as he met Li Heng, he agreed to everything.

After dealing with Li Lin, Li Heng walked out of the Ten Kings' Residence. Jingzhao Yin Cen Shen had been waiting outside the palace gate for a long time.

When Cen Shen saw Li Heng, he went up to him and said, "Your Majesty, we have found out the locations of the Zoroastrians who are loyal to An Lushan. Should we arrest them immediately?"

Li Ying said: "It's just bluffing, but don't really catch him."

Cen Shen was puzzled and asked, "Why is this?"

Li Heng said, "There are more and more Buddhist temples and Taoist temples in the world now. The people in them don't do farming, but only know how to make elixirs and practice martial arts all day long. Not only do they not contribute anything to the country, but they also cause trouble everywhere. I want to rectify them."

"That's right." Cen Shen agreed, and thought: "Your Majesty wants a reason?"

Li Heng nodded and said, "Scare those Zoroastrians. They will have nowhere to go, so some of them will run to temples and Taoist temples."

Cen Shen completely understood what Li Heng meant. He thought to himself that Li Heng was really evil, but he said respectfully, "Your Majesty is wise."

(End of this chapter)