Chapter 141 Dragon and Phoenix Dance, Sun Shines Over the Mountain
"So, after everything comes to an end, where do you all wish to go?"
Yang Zhen looked at Zhong Li'an, stepped forward, clasped his hands and said, "I am Yang Zhen, representing only the Chixiao Prefecture. We are willing to submit to Your Majesty. My father and I, along with our deputy general Fan Kun, will be at Your Majesty's disposal."
Zhong Li'an nodded and returned the greeting, saying, "General Yang, there's no need for such formalities. Please rest to the side."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Yang Zhen clasped his hands in thanks, then stepped back to his original spot.
Lu Qi also stepped forward, looked up at Qi Kun, his eyes smiling but he didn't say a word.
"Your Majesty," Qi Kun glanced at him, stepped forward, and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhong Li'an, "This man has a long-standing grudge against me, please leave him to me to deal with."
Zhong Li'an glanced at Lu Qi and immediately understood. He nodded to Qi Kun, "Alright, then we'll go back as planned."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Lu Qi said, clasping his hands in thanks to Zhongli An, then turning to look at Qi Kun, "and thank you, Lord Qi, for sparing my life."
Zhong Li'an then noticed that Xiao Yan's hands had been tied behind his back, and frowned. "Who tied Xiao Yan up? Untie him immediately."
“No need,” Xiao Yan said, looking directly at Zhong Li’an and striding to the front of the stage. “I accept defeat wholeheartedly. Your Excellency has a very good system for employing people. General Yang is intelligent, resourceful, brave, and wise, while General Bai is brave and skilled in battle, the best in the army. You also have several strategists under your command who are good at the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams. What is even more commendable is that Your Excellency treats all the ministers like family, without any distinction between them, and they have unconditional trust in each other.”
Xiao Yan's voice was cold and stern, and she sighed slightly, "I murdered the emperor and my father, overthrew the government, and now I am inferior to others in skill, so I am willing to give up my position." She raised her eyes to look at Zhong Li'an, "I have no regrets about dying on this journey, but I still have one last request before I die."
Zhong Li'an paused, then frowned and looked at Xiao Yan, "Speak freely."
"I would rather die at Yang Xiao's hands."
All eyes immediately turned to Yang Xiao, and Zhong Li'an also looked up at her, "Lingyu, do you agree?"
The hall fell silent. Everyone held their breath and stared at Yang Xiao. Yang Xiao stood still, sighed deeply, and then strode forward, bowing respectfully to Zhong Li'an. "Your Majesty," he said, "in my humble opinion, Xiao Yan must not be killed."
Zhong Li'an turned his head to look at her, "What do you mean by that?"
“Killing Xiao Yan would likely hurt the hearts of the people of Chang’an, and would also be unfair to Xiao Yan’s sincere dedication to the country.” Yang Xiao stood in front of the hall and solemnly said, “Xiao Yan murdered the emperor in order to overthrow the corrupt government in one fell swoop and settle the family feud and national hatred. During this time, she carefully planned and schemed to climb to a high position, but in an instant she killed the old dynasty’s tyrannical emperor, which brought her a lot of infamy and made her the target of all the heroes.”
"Although she held my father hostage and ordered my brother to do all sorts of treacherous things on the surface, she actually used this as an opportunity to reach a consensus with the Chixiao Palace and use the power of loyalty and righteousness to completely eradicate the treacherous people around her; while her brother Xiao Yun was stubborn and insisted on declaring himself emperor and placing himself above the people."
"When Xiao Yan's attempts to dissuade him failed, he plotted to eliminate the sycophants around his brother. Xiao Yun made a mess of my camp, but as far as I know, Xiao Yan did not participate in anything. Moreover, shortly after my feigned surrender, he completely broke with Xiao Yun and went his own way."
The crowd looked on incredulously, their brows furrowed as they scrutinized the woman beside Yang Xiao, who had lost but was still worthy of respect, and listened intently to Yang Xiao's words.
"It is true that I have walked the Chang'an Formation step by step, but the method to break the formation was taught to me by Xiao Yanjing through chess moves. He also protected me in every way when Xiao Yun made things difficult for me. Therefore, I was able to pass on the diagram smoothly, and you all have your current understanding of the Chang'an Formation and the method to break it."
Yang Xiao closed her eyes briefly, sighed softly, and continued, "On the surface, Xiao Yan is indeed a traitorous and disloyal minister who orders the loyal and good, but she endures all kinds of infamy, all for the sake of the people of the world being able to live in peace. Although she usurped power, she never placed herself on a pedestal. Although she had no intention of fighting for the world, she used her own strength to resist treacherous officials internally and defend against others externally, all for the sake of finding truly ambitious people, people who can truly bring peace and prosperity to the people, and taking Chang'an from her hands bit by bit, no matter what means she uses."
She stepped forward, clasped her hands in a fist salute to Zhongli An, and said, “Although I do not agree with judging the level of a newcomer by war, in her eyes, if the newcomer is incapable of breaking this Chang’an Formation, he is certainly incapable of ruling the world and ensuring long-term peace and stability. For her, entrusting Chang’an to such a person is something she cannot be at ease about. If our army fails to break this Chang’an Formation, she will definitely protect this ever-operating formation with her life, eliminate the treacherous officials within it bit by bit, and then wait for a truly insightful person to break this formation again.”
Another sigh rippled through the room as the warm rays of the rising sun gradually bathed Xiao Yan, illuminating his long-darkened eyes.
“I see,” Zhong Li’an sighed, looking at Yang Xiao with a frown and nodding. “No wonder Bingzhou showed no intention of sending troops in the early stages of the war.”
“Your Majesty, in my opinion, if Xiao Yan dies at my hands without knowing the truth, her truth will never see the light of day again.” Yang Xiao raised his eyes to look at Zhong Li’an. “Although she insisted on fighting to the death, she had already moved the people to the edge of the country before the battle to protect them from the ravages of the iron hooves. As for the result, she also joined forces with our army to occupy the Chang’an Formation and help us completely eradicate Xiao Yun’s treacherous party in this formation.”
"And the Chang'an Formation she established was not entirely for defense. This formation is round inside and square outside. As long as people live there, it will operate continuously and breathe in and out. This formation is difficult to break through from the outside, and it holds the vital Chang'an within a barrier. No matter what the outcome of this battle is, it will surely benefit future generations and all rivers."
"As an individual, she is skilled in divination and understands human nature; as a person of compassion, she loves the common people and is willing to bear infamy. How could I possibly kill such a person?" Yang Xiao couldn't help but take a deep breath, and then looked sincerely at Zhong Li'an, "Your Majesty, I am willing to give my life to testify to her character. If she ever does anything to wrong the people in the future, I am willing to share the punishment with her." She pondered for a moment, then clasped her hands in a fist towards Zhong Li'an again, "I am willing to sign a pledge to save Xiao Yan's life."
As everyone watched Yang Xiao's resolute figure, a collective sigh escaped their lips. The Qiang King smiled at Yang Xiao, stood up, and clapped his hands repeatedly, saying, "Such righteousness! He truly deserves to be called a renowned general."
"Someone come here," Zhong Li'an frowned as he looked at Yang Xiao, and raised his hand to summon the soldiers beside him, "Untie Xiao Yan."
Yang Xiao was startled, but then watched with delight as the soldier cut the rope binding Xiao Yan's hands. Her eyes were filled with joy and gratitude. She took two steps forward and knelt before Zhong Li'an, saying, "On behalf of Xiao Yan, I thank Your Majesty for sparing my life."
"Hey," Zhong Li'an was startled when he saw Yang Xiao suddenly kneeling down, and quickly stepped off the platform. "Why are you kneeling again? Get up quickly."
Xiao Yan looked at Zhong Li'an, who came to help Yang Xiao up, and for a moment she didn't know what to say. She took a deep breath, knelt down in front of Zhong Li'an, clasped her hands and said, "I am Xiao Yan, and I thank Your Majesty for sparing my life."
Zhong Li'an gently supported Yang Xiao, looked at Xiao Yan and sighed, "If it weren't for Ling Yu's advice, how long do you plan to endure this stigma?"
Xiao Yan stood up with a smile. "Why should I care about fame? Now that Chang'an is pacified and the treacherous officials have been dealt with, I am already very content. My dream has long been realized. I have no regrets towards the people or myself. Moreover, I have met people who understand my true feelings along the way. I have no resentment towards this world."
“However, I never expected you would go to such lengths for me.” She looked at Yang Xiao with eyes full of relief and gratitude. “Thank you so much.”
“Xiao Yan,” Yang Xiao glanced at Xiao Yan with feigned displeasure, “if you truly have no regrets, I can still end you with one punch right now.”
“That won’t do,” Xiao Yan said with a smile and shook her head. “A word spoken cannot be taken back.” She then turned to Zhong Li’an and said, “I have long since lost my will to be an official. I hope that Your Excellency will grant me the privilege of being a commoner and allowing me to enjoy the blessings of farming for the rest of my life.”
Zhong Li'an nodded, looking at Xiao Yan with great respect.
"Then, Your Majesty, please guard Chang'an for me." She gazed at Zhongli An, her eyes filled with determination and reluctance.
"Go in peace. With me here and my ministers by my side, the Chang'an Formation will surely continue to operate and endure for generations to come." Zhongli An looked at her solemnly, then sighed softly, "It's time to clear your name of all the undeserved infamy you have been accused of."
"I thank you again for sparing my life." She smiled and nodded at Zhong Li'an, then turned to look at Yang Xiao, "After everything has settled down, come and see me one last time before I retire."
"What, you don't want to see me anymore?"
Xiao Yan smiled upon hearing this and looked sincerely at Yang Xiao, "Then let's see if our tacit understanding can guide you to find me." After speaking, she bowed to Zhong Li An and turned to retreat behind the formation.
Zhongli An looked down at the magnificent scenery of Chang'an, and felt a sense of déjà vu. He turned to look at his dear friends who had accompanied him all the way, and sighed with emotion.
He stepped forward onto the stage and said, “The matter of the surrendered generals is now settled. Today, I will reward the comrades who have come all this way for their merits.”
The audience fell silent, holding their breath and waiting for Zhong Li'an to finish his story.
"Zhongli Shuo was posthumously granted the title of King of Jibei, with the honorary title of General Yongsheng."
He sighed deeply, then looked at his comrades with a smile.
"Yang Xiao is appointed General-in-Chief; Bai Ming is appointed General of the Cavalry; Qi Kun is appointed Chancellor; Xue Chang is appointed Grand Commandant."
The four of them stepped forward to receive their orders. Zhong Li'an turned to look at Cen Xun, who was still standing there, and asked, "Tongxi, have you made up your mind?"
Cen Xun smiled and nodded gently, then stepped forward and clasped her hands in a fist salute to Zhong Li'an. "The world is at peace, and Yu De's wish has been fulfilled. As for me, I have already taken up arms and done what Yu De could not, and I successfully used the Vermilion Bird Token at the last moment to help Ling Yu. So now, I have no regrets." She sighed freely, "In this court, I am willing to pick up my pen and play the zither, recording the heartfelt melodies of the world."
Zhong Li'an looked at Cen Xun with deep emotion, closed his eyes and nodded heavily, "Is the position of Music Director to your liking?"
Upon hearing this, Cen Xun smiled and nodded, then stepped forward and knelt down, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for granting me this position."
“I’ve said it before, why are you all being so formal?” He bent down to help Cen Xun up, looking at everyone with a mixture of relief and helplessness. “I’m still Zhong Li’an. If you’re not comfortable with that, just call me ‘Lord,’ how about that?”
"Your Majesty," Xue Chang said, looking at Zhong Li'an and shaking his head with a smile.
"The foundation is established, and all the important officials have been rewarded." Zhong Li'an stepped forward and looked at the crowd below the stage. "Today's ceremony is now concluded. Dismiss the guests."
He raised his hand and waved his sleeve, and instantly it was like the first light of day, benefiting all living beings.
All the civil and military officials dispersed from their seats. After Zhongli An gestured to Yang Xiao, he led Xue Chang to discuss relations between the two countries with the Qiang King. Yang Xiao, however, looked at Qi Kun walking towards her and, ignoring the gazes of the others, ran straight towards him.
"Master." She called out to Qi Kun, and was about to kneel in front of him, but was pulled up again.
Qi Kun, still with his usual smile, teased, "What's gotten into you today? Are you addicted to kneeling?"
"It's been so long since I've seen you, Master. You must show me all the proper etiquette," she said, her eyes slightly red as she looked at Qi Kun with concern. "Master, is your injury any better? How could you venture into the Qiang tribe alone? What if something had happened to you?"
"My injury is no longer a big deal. Going into this situation alone is something I learned from you, isn't it?" Qi Kun shook his head with a relaxed smile. "Going alone shows sincerity. If that Qiang king really wants to kill me, it only means that he is completely unreliable. We should find another better plan. As for you..."
He held Yang Xiao's shoulder and sighed, "You were injured like this before and you still came to ask me. It seems that Qi Lu couldn't protect you either. I'll go find him and demand an explanation later."
Looking into Qi Kun's eyes, Yang Xiao couldn't help but reach out and hug him. Thinking of what Qi Kun had just said, she smiled and said, "Master, please go easy on him. It's not right to kill your own family for the greater good."
"You," Qi Kun sighed, raising his hand to pat Yang Xiao on the back, "you must never be so reckless in the future."
"Don't worry, Master," Yang Xiao said with a smile in her eyes, "I'm sure I won't have the chance to be reckless again in the future."
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