At this time in the Last Life, Li Yan did not say this to Li Ye. So Li Ye only felt unhappy that the imperial court didn’t award Prince An, who died in Huainan for the country. He only felt unhappy. After all, he was driven out of Prince An’s Manor soon after and had difficulty protecting himself. It was useless to think too much about his father’s death at that time.

Li Ye looked at Li Yan and suddenly said, “The rumors you heard, you haven’t finished speaking of them yet?”

Li Yan stunned. “How did you know?” He touched his head and felt somewhat awkward. “Don’t blame me for not finishing it. The following words were too shocking, and criticize the imperial court and his Majesty. I didn’t intend to say…”

He wanted to be simple, and had only intended to say half of the rumors, and it was clear to see that he was still immature.

Li Ye laughed. “The rumor must be that my father was killed in the Bagong Mountain by the imperial court, right? Those masters who helped Pang Xun, killed my father, and finally seized Pang Xun came from the imperial court. Apart from the imperial court, which Immortal sect or vassal state could gather a group of cultivators of high cultivation in the world?”

“And it must be Kang Chengxun who arranged all of this. Ah, by the way, Duke Xing was also in the army at that time. So he must have participated in it. That is to say, the death of my father is not because of the fighting, but because of the Emperor’s suspicion and distrust!”

Li Yan opened his mouth and was speechless. After a long while, he said with astonishment. “How do you know that… Did you hear those rumors too?”

Li Ye sneered. “Besides that, is there any other possibility?”

Li Yan didn’t know what to say for a while. Then he said, “This is too sensational, and is a rumor of Jianghu after all. It may not be true, just don’t believe it.”

He told the rumors to Li Ye and hoped that Li Ye would not believe this rumor. Such behaviors and deeds seemed to sow disorder.

Unexpectedly, Li Ye said seriously. “These are of course fake rumors. Those who are dissatisfied with the imperial court deliberately released that to confuse people! My father contributed a lot to the country for his whole life. His Majesty had a high opinion of him such that he conferred the title of Grand Prince on my father and also gave him the power to manage finance and military. How could his Majesty suspect my father? It must be someone spreading lies to deceive the people. These rumors brought shame on the imperial court and my father. Of course I will not believe it!”

Li Yan didn’t think that Li Ye would end up with such a conclusion. He felt stunned for a long while and then reacted. He realized that Li Ye’s words were reasonable and admired his wisdom. He said sincerely, “It’s really righteous of you!”

Li Ye smiled and asked casually, “Who spread these rumors? Have you ever seen them? There are such rumors in the East Capital, doesn’t the court care?”

Li Yan didn’t think that Li Ye had another meaning. He replied naturally, “I heard it from the marketplaces and it was ordinary people who discussed it. The officials of the East Capital have arrested some people, but they have not found out where the rumors came from.”

Li Ye nodded. He took the wine cup and drank the wine to cover up the disappointment that flashed in his eyes. “It’s a pity. Those who spread the rumors must be severely punished when they are caught.”

Li Yan said. “Of course!”

…

Li Yan really intended to live in Prince An’s Manor to guarantee Li Ye’s safety, but he was finally persuaded to leave by Li Ye.

In the case that Prince An’s Manor was attacked by the remnants of Pang Xun’s group, if Li Ye was hurt by anybody, then the face of the imperial court really would be gone. Chang’an Office and those big guys would not allow such things to happen. Although there were signs that the world was going to be in chaos, there was still no real chaos after all. This was why Li Guanshu didn’t dare to hurt Li Ye.

The imperial court still had to save face. In a sense, the court represented majesty and order. An imperial court with no face was impossible to control the order of the world.

Li Ye sent away Li Yan, and then sat in the hall and fell into meditation.

Shangguan Qingcheng stood next to him. Seeing that Li Ye didn’t speak for a while, she couldn’t help asking. “My Heir Apparent, you really don’t believe the words of Prince Pu… you don’t believe those rumors of Jianghu?”

Li Ye looked at Shangguan Qingcheng and asked, “Do you believe?”

Shangguan Qingcheng thought for a moment, unconsciously biting her blushing lip, and said, “It is not… unreasonable.”

Li Ye sneered. “It is not just reasonable, but it is extremely close to the truth.”

Shangguan Qingcheng was stunned and said, “If so, why did Heir Apparent say to Prince Pu that you didn’t believe that?”

Li Ye looked out the door. At this time, it was dawn and the last rays of the sun had also dissipated. The walls of the courtyard and locust trees outside the door cast shadows on the ground.

He slowly said, “Prince Pu’s has a loose mouth and has no talent in acting. If I show doubts about my father’s death and dissatisfaction with the imperial court and His Majesty, and it was known by others, how could I inherit the title and start my official career? Even worse, I might lose my life.”

Shangguan Qingcheng cried in a low voice. After thinking about it for a long time, she finally understood. After all, she was a military commander. She was pure and not accustomed to such conspiracies. “I see.”

However, she frowned after a moment. “My Heir Apparent… If the matter is really in accordance with the rumor, Prince An…”

Li Ye frowned and did not speak.

Shangguan Qingcheng seemed to be suddenly aware of something. Her white face was even paler and she almost exclaimed, “If this is true, then won’t your future be very difficult?”

Of course it would be difficult. If Li Xian was killed by the imperial court, it would be extremely difficult or even impossible for Li Ye to become an official and master the power to compete with the feudal princes in troubled times.

The imperial court could not tolerate Li Xian, and naturally could not tolerate Li Ye.

Li Ye looked at the shadows in the yard outside the door. “So I asked Prince Pu where did the rumors come from… If the rumors are true, then those who know these secrets must not be ordinary people. The people on the side of Kang Chengxun and Duke Xing will naturally not spread these secrets. So it is very likely that these rumors came from father’s former disciples and subordinates.”

Shangguan Qingcheng asked with doubts, “The former subordinates of Prince An?”

Li Ye nodded. “There must be a purpose for them to spread these rumors. The question is what their purpose is. To cry out their grievances for father? If so, it proves that they are at least loyal to my father. As long as I can find them, it won’t be difficult to persuade them to work for me.”

Prince An’s trusted subordinates would naturally not be ordinary people.

If Li Ye wanted to succeed in the upcoming chaotic times, first of all he needed to gather people and make his own team. If his father’s former subordinates could help him, there was no need to say much about the benefits.

Shangguan Qingcheng was quite disappointed. “Unfortunately, Prince Pu does not know who those people are.”

Li Ye smiled. “Don’t be disappointed, this is good news.”

Shangguan Qingcheng didn’t understand. “Good news?”

Li Ye said, “If Prince Pu knows who they are, the imperial court naturally will know who they are too, then they will be arrested by the imperial court… Now that they have not revealed their identity, it means that they are still safe. That is to say, I will still see them in the future.”

Shangguan Qingcheng understood now. “My Heir Apparent is clever.”

But she suddenly said with worry. “In this way, will the imperial court agree for you to inherit the title? What will happen to your official career after inheriting the title? I’m afraid that the imperial court and the Majesty would not let you make great achievements…”

If Li Xian hadn’t died in Huainan suddenly, Li Ye’s current situation would not be so unbearable. And in his Last Life, he shouldn’t have been driven out of the Manor, suffered a lot and finally died with hate.

It could even be said that if Li Xian hadn’t died early, whether Huangchao could break through Chang’an after a few years could be debated.

Li Ye’s gaze passed through the shadows outside the door and fell on someplace far away. At the end was boundless darkness which could not be dispelled by the lights of Chang’an City. “There is no big problem in inheriting the title. After all, the obstacles have been cleared. As for becoming an official…”

He kept his silence for a moment and then said something that made Shangguan Qingcheng confused. “The present Emperor won’t live for long…”

…

Prime Minister’s Manor.

The house was brightly lit, and Wei Baoheng, Kang Chengxun, and Li Guanshu were sitting together.

“In the face of the pressure of the Duke, he still was calm. And he even risked his life fighting against the Duke despite knowing that he couldn’t bear one of the Duke’s blow. Besides that, he had strictly enforced the orders and prohibitions of the guards. So, now the Heir Apparent is not useless, but instead became an outstanding person overnight, and we cannot underestimate him?”

The Prime Minister Wei Baoheng who sat in the Host’s Seat looked down when he was talking. Although his tone was dull, it was full of ridicule. It was unknown whether he ridiculed the inconsistency of world affairs or ridiculed the incompetence of some people.

Duke Xing Li Guanshu sat behind the left table, and his face was not looking good. Whoever encountered such a situation, his or her face would not look good either. “Yao’er failed this time and was caught by Li Ye. He’s indeed reckless. And it is also my fault that I didn’t teach him well… Li Ye has the Taoist’s Luck left by Celestial Master Yuan in Tai Xuan Summit and experienced a great change overnight. He not only reached Level 2 of Qi-refining, but also improved in knowledge and means. He’s quite different now.”

Hearing that, Kang Chengxun, who now was the commissioner of Hedong and came back to report on his work, said with ridicule. “According to the Duke’s words, do you regret that you decided to grab Li Ye’s title? Do you mean that if Li Ye was as clever as he is now, you wouldn’t dare to grab his title of Prince An?”

Li Guanshu said in a deep voice. “What do you mean?”

Kang Chengxun shook his head and sighed, “Duke, don’t be angry. According to the current situation, are you planning to exchange the title of Prince An for Li Yao? If so, it will show that you’re afraid of Li Ye. If news of this matter is spread, how can you keep a foothold in the court?”

Li Guanshu said with an angry face, “Why did you say that in such a harsh way? Now Yao’er is in the hands of Li Ye, what can I do? You didn’t see Li Ye today, you don’t know how greatly he has changed.”

Kang Chengxun laughed and said. “Even though he has greatly changed and become powerful, can he compare with Li Xian? You and I even defeated Li Xian, do we need to be afraid of him?”