Chapter 672 Things change and people change
As the night deepened, the Tianji Pavilion became silent.

When Liu Xunyi, who had just washed up, came to the study, Zhao Yuan was sitting behind the desk, meditating with his eyes closed. Facing Liu Xunyi pushing the door open, he ignored her and stood still like a clay sculpture.

"Greetings to the Marquis!"

Liu Xunyi tiptoed to the table and knelt down cautiously.

"sit down!"

Zhao Yuan's voice sounded a little hoarse and very tired.

"My subordinates dare not..."

"There are only you and me in the study tonight, so there is no need to be formal."

Zhao Yuan slowly opened his eyes, and when he raised his eyes, fine wrinkles appeared on his forehead. His whole spirit was much weaker and weaker than before, as if he had aged dozens of years in an instant, which surprised Liu Xunyi.

"sit down!"

"Thank you, Lord Marquis."

Under Zhao Yuan's repeated urging, Liu Xunyi did not dare to be stubborn, and agreed and sat down in a hurry.

"Xunyi, I haven't seen you for a few months. You've lost a lot of weight." Zhao Yuan looked at the anxious Liu Xunyi without blinking, and said with a smile, "Why? After living in the Xianwang Mansion for two years, you are not used to returning to the Tianji Pavilion?"

"Of course not." Liu Xunyi explained quickly, "Since I came back, I have been introspecting in my room, that's why..."

"I heard that you called out the names of 'Xu Heng, Ling Qing' several times when you were drunk. And you were not moved by the servants calling you 'Lord Liu'." Zhao Yuan didn't care about Liu Xunyi's explanation and asked directly, "Have you been so used to being 'Liu Zhishan' that you forgot how to be 'Lord Liu'?"

"My Lord, I..."

"Don't be nervous. This is human nature. I won't blame you." Before Liu Xunyi could stand up to apologize, Zhao Yuan waved his hand nonchalantly and said, "But I hope you can cheer up as soon as possible. Although there is no other errand at the moment, you can teach the newcomers and don't get drunk all day."

"Subordinates, please keep this in mind."

After saying that, Liu Xunyi stole a glance at Zhao Yuan's expression. Seeing that he looked tired and weak, he couldn't help but feel worried. He asked tentatively, "My Lord, I heard that... the emperor is quite dissatisfied with the work we are doing in Luoyang? He even ordered the Tianji Pavilion to stop working to see what happens next?"

Zhao Yuan frowned slightly and said absentmindedly: "The emperor is just angry for a moment, you don't have to worry about this matter."

"Yes."

Although Zhao Yuan spoke lightly, Liu Xunyi could sense the deep sadness and helplessness in his tone.

"I came to you tonight to tell you three things. Two bad things and one good thing. Which one do you want to hear first?"

"I..." Liu Xunyi was nervous and hesitated, "I am willing to follow your orders, sir."

"Well, I will tell you the bad news first, and then the good news." Zhao Yuan did not shirk his responsibility and went straight to the point. "First, the bad news. There have been many people from the underworld causing trouble in Lin'an City recently. You should have heard about it?"

"Yes."

"These ignorant rabble have ravaged almost every government office in Lin'an City, just to threaten the court to hand you over." Zhao Yuan spoke solemnly, his tone becoming increasingly gloomy. "Last night, a group of thieves dared to break into the forbidden area of ​​the imperial palace. Not only did they write threatening words all over the palace, but they also left a sharp blade on the imperial concubine's jade couch."

"Hiss!" Liu Xunyi was shocked and felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. After all, this matter was caused by him.

"They dared to leave a sharp blade on the Imperial Concubine's jade couch, which was clearly a provocation to the Emperor." Zhao Yuan said in a deep voice, "The palace guards hunted them all night and beheaded three people on the spot, but two are still at large. The Imperial Concubine fell ill in bed due to the shock, and His Majesty was furious. This morning, all 32 guards in the Imperial Concubine's palace were beheaded to serve as a warning to others. At the same time, 3,000 more Imperial Guards were deployed to the vicinity of the Imperial Palace to meet any emergency needs."

"This..." Liu Xunyi was shocked and speechless.

"Today, the emperor summoned me and the prime minister. Do you know what the emperor said to us?"

"I don't know."

"The Emperor said, 'In troubled times, traitors are in power, and rituals and music are destroyed, social norms are lost, and righteousness no longer exists. If this continues, sooner or later the country will no longer be a country, the monarch will no longer be a monarch, and the ministers will no longer be ministers!'" Zhao Yuan's tone was filled with shame and anger, and his eyes couldn't help but turn red. "The Emperor also said, 'A fallen phoenix is ​​worse than a chicken. In a prosperous era, who dares to act rashly in front of the emperor? In today's troubled times, even snakes, insects, rats, ants, and villains dare to go to the forbidden area of ​​the palace to do evil. This is an unprecedented anecdote in all dynasties, and it is an unprecedented humiliation since the founding of the Song Dynasty.' The Emperor's words are so heartbreaking that this Marquis and the Prime Minister feel as if they were pierced by thousands of arrows. The pain is unbearable."

At this time, Liu Xunyi's face was as pale as wax, and he was in a trance. He didn't know how to respond.

"The emperor ordered that this incident was caused by our poor performance, so he ordered the East Palace to find a way to end it." Zhao Yuan said bitterly, "The emperor only gave the prime minister a month. If the chaos in Lin'an City cannot be quelled, all officials of the East Palace in Lin'an, including the prime minister... No! Including the prime minister, all will be demoted three levels and fined three years' salary."

"This..." Liu Xunyi looked at Zhao Yuan, whose face was livid, in disbelief, and said hesitantly, "I wonder how the Prime Minister plans to deal with this?"

"The Prime Minister's intention is to...kill all those involved in the riot."

"I'm afraid this matter is... as difficult as ascending to heaven." Liu Xunyi said worriedly, "The troublemakers are definitely not just one or two people, nor are they just one or two forces, but the entire Central Plains martial arts world. If you want to wipe out all the Central Plains martial arts world, and within a month, forgive me for being frank... it's simply impossible to do it."

Zhao Yuan raised his eyebrows and asked meaningfully, "Then...what do you think we should do?"

"I think..." Liu Xunyi no longer hesitated and expressed the idea that had been brewing in his mind for a long time, "I will come forward to calm down this storm that should not have happened."

"You will come forward?" Zhao Yuan asked suspiciously, "You mean... to let the court hand you over?"

"Yes……"

"Bastard!"

"Bang!" Before Liu Xunyi finished speaking, Zhao Yuan flew into a rage, slammed the table, pointed at the uneasy Liu Xunyi, and scolded: "Do you think this is just your business? This matter concerns the dignity of the country and the majesty of the court. How can you be so fanciful and do whatever you want? The more aggressive they are, the less the court can give in. This is the emperor's will, and no one can disobey."

"My Lord, please calm down. I know I was wrong!"

Liu Xunyi quickly knelt down and kowtowed to Zhao Yuan to apologize.

"Don't mention such nonsense again in the future!"

"As ordered."

"They dared to break into the palace. They are not targeting you alone, but the entire court. The Prime Minister's worries are indeed correct. The Central Plains martial arts world may seem like a mob, but in fact, it contains huge variables. If I can use it, it can turn decay into magic and become a sharp sword for the court to resist foreign enemies. If I can't use it, it may become a source of disaster that endangers the world. Now it seems that the Prime Minister's words have come true, and the danger to the court from the martial arts world has begun to emerge." Zhao Yuan was full of worries, but also full of helplessness. Suddenly, he changed the subject and said, "This is only the first thing that makes the emperor unhappy. In addition, there is a second bad thing."

"May I ask for your instructions, Lord?"

Zhao Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "You once revealed that Jin Fuyu had hidden tens of thousands of soldiers in Hengshan Village and was planning to rebel, right?"

"Yes." Liu Xunyi's eyes changed and he asked in astonishment, "Has this matter changed?"

"It's not that something has changed, it's that something is false!" Zhao Yuan said regretfully, "The Marquis Kuiben trusted you very much and even guaranteed you with his life in front of the Prime Minister. But he never expected that this news was completely false and absurd."

"What?" Liu Xunyi was flustered and at a loss, "How... is this possible?"

"The emperor sent an imperial envoy to Yongzhou to conduct an open and secret investigation. He thoroughly checked Hengshan Village three times, and dug deep into the ground, but he didn't find a single soldier. Where did tens of thousands of soldiers come from?" Zhao Yuan said unhappily. "This matter made the emperor very dissatisfied. Today, he even scolded the prime minister in front of all the civil and military officials for believing in rumors and being absurd and stupid. The prime minister has lost face in the court and is unable to live with himself."

"Impossible!" Liu Xunyi argued, "Jin Fuyu has evil intentions, this is absolutely true..."

"Xun Yi, tell me honestly, did you see with your own eyes that Jin Fuyu hid tens of thousands of troops?"

“This…” Liu Xunyi was speechless for a moment, “I didn’t see it with my own eyes, but heard it…”

"Seeing is believing, hearing is not. If you didn't see it with your own eyes, how can you say it's absolutely true?" Zhao Yuan waved his hand and said, "Unless the imperial envoy sent by the emperor and all the officials in Yongzhou are blind, otherwise the 'absolutely true' you mentioned is just a farce."

"This……"

"Because of this incident, the emperor originally wanted to punish you for spreading rumors and causing trouble, and for misleading people. But fortunately, the prime minister tried his best to negotiate, and the emperor also remembered your meritorious service in suppressing the rebellion, so he showed special mercy and spared you this time."

Although Liu Xunyi was full of doubts, he did not dare to argue and could only nod and apologize.

If he insisted on making excuses, not only would he fail to change the status quo, but he would also cause a lot of unnecessary trouble and even create new political enemies for the East Palace, the Prime Minister, and Zhao Yuan.

Two pieces of bad news in a row made Liu Xunyi feel disheartened and at a loss. He really couldn't think of what good news Zhao Yuan could bring him in such an unfavorable situation.

"Forget it!" Zhao Yuan took a deep breath and said softly, "After reporting the worries, it's time to report the good news."

Liu Xunyi's eyelids twitched, and he looked at Zhao Yuan with a look full of uneasiness and anxiety.

"Xun Yi, I once said that you have made great contributions to Luo Tianjin's death." Zhao Yuan said calmly, "I will not break my promise. Today, the Prime Minister and I jointly asked for your merits in front of the emperor. Although the emperor is dissatisfied with your false information, he clearly distinguishes merits from demerits, and has a clear reward and punishment system. He will not erase your achievements because of your mistakes. The emperor remembers your loyalty to the court, your willingness to hide among the people and work hard, so he issued an edict to promote you as a fourth-rank commander, reward you with 100 taels of gold, and give you a royal horse."

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!" Liu Xunyi smiled and bowed his head in worship.

"Originally, you were expected to be promoted two levels, but the many trivial matters that have occurred recently have made the emperor feel depressed, so he will only promote you one level. I hope you will not hold a grudge against him."

"My subordinates dare not!"

"Xunyi, although this mission failed, it's not your fault. On the contrary, you have made great contributions in suppressing the rebellion, so don't worry." Zhao Yuan comforted him, "I know that you have been living on the edge of a knife among the people, escaping death many times, and your life is not easy. Therefore, you can make any request, whether it is for gold and silver, land, or a house... As long as I can do it, I will try my best to satisfy you."

"Thank you, Lord Marquis, for your kindness. I am grateful to you." Liu Xunyi said sincerely, "It is my duty to work for the court. It is my responsibility. How dare I covet rewards? As for gold, silver, land, and houses... I dare not even hope for them."

At this point, Liu Xunyi's tone suddenly stagnated, and he stared at Zhao Yuan, who remained silent, with a solemn look. After hesitating for a long time, he mustered up the courage and pleaded sincerely: "If the Marquis does not abandon me, I dare to... ask the Marquis to fulfill his original promise. If you can do so, I will be grateful and will never forget it."

"What promise?" Zhao Yuan frowned and hesitated, "You are talking about..."

"The Marquis once promised me that when I return to Tianji Pavilion, the Marquis is willing to work with the Prime Minister to act as a matchmaker in front of the emperor..."

"hiss!"

Before Liu Xunyi finished speaking, Zhao Yuan took a deep breath and suddenly realized, "You don't want gold, silver, and land, but you want people?"

"Yes!" At this point, Liu Xunyi no longer had the slightest fear, and admitted with a brave face, "I don't want anything, even the official position bestowed by the emperor. I only want Princess Xinde, nothing else."

"This..." Liu Xunyi's determination made Zhao Yuan's face change, and his expression became more and more embarrassed.

"My Lord, is it because I failed to successfully recruit Luo Tianjin that it is inconvenient for you and the Prime Minister to act as matchmakers in front of the Emperor?"

"This... Xunyi, I can agree to everything else you ask for, except this matter..." Zhao Yuan looked embarrassed and hesitated for a long time, but was unable to explain the reason.

Liu Xunyi was anxious and said bluntly: "If the Marquis is not convenient to propose marriage to the emperor, I am willing to do it myself. I only ask the Marquis to recommend me to the palace..."

"Looking for clothes!" Suddenly, Zhao Yuan's expression changed, and the tangle in his eyes gradually turned into bitterness. He said helplessly, "You... should just forget about Zhao Xin!"

……

(End of this chapter)