Chapter 32: A fake play becomes real

In the small side hall, only Yun Ye was kneeling on a mat. The hall was quiet. The palace maid who served him had long since left. When he had finished drinking the water in his cup, no one had come. He was just about to go to the door to see if anyone was coming when he heard a clattering sound of armor.

Li Er, fully armored, walked with a majestic and awe-inspiring air, wearing a light golden armor, carrying a sword in his hand, and his helmet tucked under his arm. The two bright breastplates reflected dazzling light, as if he were a god from the heavens.

This is the real Li Er, an invincible commander who is invincible and invincible, no longer the rogue uncle who always kicks his own butt from behind.

After praising him, Yun Ye regretted it.

Li Er used a move, and immediately four or five eunuchs took Yun Ye’s outer robe off, leaving only his underwear. They quickly found a black armor from somewhere and quickly dressed him up. Even the boots on his feet were replaced with iron-plated battle boots.

A long sword with a sheath flew through the air, and Yun Ye took it in a daze, looking at Li Er in confusion.

The eunuch in the hall bent over and backed out, and the door closed with a creak.

Sunlight poured into the hall through the window lattice, and the beam of light split the ground in half. Li Er slowly drew his sword, the blade of which was like a pool of clear water. The tip of the sword pointed at Yun Ye, and a muffled voice rang out: “I know that you have many grievances and a lot of anger to vent. I am giving you this opportunity. There are only the two of us in this side hall. You can use the sword in your hand to attack me as much as you like. No one will blame you, even if you hurt me.”

Li Er’s eyes did not contain any emotion, but the words that came out of his mouth were like a thunderbolt that struck Yun Ye’s head. There was a buzzing in his ears, and he shook a little. He then tried to stand up straight and stared at Li Er, asking him to confirm.

“Come on, I’m waiting for you. I’ll give you three moves. Whether you can vent your grievances depends on your ability.”

Yun Ye tore a strip of cloth from the clothes on the ground, carefully tied the hilt of the sword to his hand, and tied a knot with his teeth. His eyes were filled with raging anger, the locusts flying in the sky, the farmers begging pitifully, and the cries seemed to urge him to act. In that moment, he forgot that the person standing in front of him was the emperor of the Tang Dynasty. He only saw that the person in front of him was the controller and exploiter of the locust plague in Guanzhong. He knew that he could not beat him, so even if he had to crawl, he would teach him a lesson.

Li Er’s face showed a look of approval. Not many people had the courage to hold a sword in front of him, let alone tie it to their hands. This was clearly a fight to the death. The anger in this kid’s heart was not small.

He bowed to Li Er, held the sword in his hand, and shouted, stabbing Li Er’s arm. Li Er slightly moved to the side, and the sword’s spine slid out of the armor. He took advantage of the momentum to extend his hand and lightly press on Yun Ye’s shoulder. Yun Ye’s body flew out, fell heavily to the ground, rolled over, and stood up, yelling and swinging his sword to cut Li Er.

Li Er frowned and said, “A sword is used to stab, not to chop. This way, the sword loses its agility and spirit. How did Zhi Zhang teach you?”

“I don’t care. You made a mistake. I just want to cut you with a sword. You let the locusts run wild and caused a huge problem. The whole province is crying. Now what should we do? There are so many locusts that we can’t catch them all. People will die without food!”

Li Er helplessly used the sword sheath to keep knocking away the chaotic sword that Yun Ye was swinging. Once he got close, he kicked him over with a kick.

Yun Ye was covered in dust and fighting desperately. Li Er could not kill him, so he could only wait until he was exhausted.

Yun Ye was not so much fighting with Li Er as he was venting his anger. It didn’t matter if he hit or missed, as long as he was swinging, he felt better.

He was like an angry bull, frantically circling Li Er, but alas, the difference in skill was not something that could be made up for by being frantic.

After a full hour of hacking, Yun Ye finally ran out of strength. Li Er gave him a gentle push, and he fell on his back on the ground. Yun Ye was panting and sweating.

Li Er stood on top of his head and asked playfully, “You are the most desperate person I have ever seen, but also the least desperate person. It’s a pity that you have a sword in your hand. You should be given a knife or an axe. It’s more exciting to chop.”

“It’s a pity that I have to give up my sword.” He then unsheathed the sword in his hand, made a few strokes on Yun Ye’s hand, and lightly flicked it. The sword in Yun Ye’s hand flew up. He grabbed the sword and sat on the helmet, leaning over to look at Yun Ye.

“Since I took command of the troops, I have been living in one conspiracy after another. I have never been afraid of the enemy in the front. Even when facing Dou Jiande’s 100,000 troops, I still used a hundred cavalry to kill three times in and out. Therefore, the enemy on the surface is not scary. The poisonous snakes behind them are always watching you. As long as I am a little negligent, I will lose everything.

“I can’t afford to lose. If I lose, your familiar empress, crown prince, Qingque, and Ake will all die. You have given me a chance. How could I not take advantage of such a chance? Now it’s nothing, just 27 states. I don’t believe that my Tang Dynasty will not survive. Don’t you agree?”

“Of course it will survive. I’m just worried about the plague after the disaster. It’s even more terrible than the locusts.”

“You underestimate my officials. They are all people who have survived war. Will they not be prepared? As long as the bodies are buried early and not left in the wild, there will be no major problems. I am now asking you, can locusts really be eaten?”

“Of course they can be eaten. They are also very delicious. I can make you a plate.”

“Is there a minister who is holding a sword and slashing the emperor like a madman? If it were anyone else, they would have died eighty times over. You are still scheming in your heart to make me look bad. Boy, you are all the same as I have played. Don’t bring it out to shame yourself. Although you don’t have the ability, you have slashed me, the number one person in the world. Now, neither of us owes the other anything. Let’s start over. If you have done something good, I will reward you. If you have done something wrong, I will punish you. After he finished speaking, he actually smiled and walked away with his hands behind his back.

Yun Ye let out a long sigh of relief. He had finally survived the ordeal. He had just used his best ability to attack the emperor and achieved good results. If he had pretended to be scared, things would not have gone so easily. He just didn’t expect that it would end up being a real fight.

Ha, I showed Li Er my weakest side, and I vented my hysteria. He will think that he is a hot-blooded teenager, and there is no need to be on guard. With his previous achievements as a foundation, the emperor will not do anything to him. He will think that everything is still in his control. If he acts more mature than his age, disaster is not far off.

Li Gang’s education on the imperial court was still very useful, so he went back to thank the old man.

Lie down in a comfortable position. I was really tired just now, and my hands and feet don’t listen to me.

Since Li Er is not worried about the locust plague, what is there to worry about?