gnovel Chapter 77: I'll leave this behind to repay Ah Lang's great kindness.
Chapter 77: I'll leave this behind to repay Ah Lang's great kindness.
Chapter 77: I'll leave this behind to repay Ah Lang's great kindness.
The Lijing Gate was, after all, a lackey of Emperor Yang, yet now it was spying on Emperor Yang's widow. It was truly a betrayal of its master and a forgetting of its roots.
Yang Zhengdao couldn't help but retort sarcastically, "You actually dared to plant spies even around Empress Xiao!"
Upon hearing this, Dilireba's expression froze for a moment, then she covered her mouth and laughed.
"A figure in a green robe, a figure in colorful clothes, amidst the misty rain of July and the clear skies of August. One shadow, one movement, never abandoning, like wind chimes under the eaves and duckweed on the water. My love, this figure in green robe and the figure in colorful clothes are one; do you think you can distinguish them?"
Maybe! But these things aren't that important anymore! Yang Zhengdao didn't reply, waiting for Dili to continue.
Dilire's smile faded, and her expression became serious: "Does my lord know that during the Daye era, Emperor Yang ordered Pei Hongda to manage the Western Regions? He laid a trap in the Western Regions and left behind a troop of men. The tokens used to activate this trap and this troop of men are in the Pei family."
Yang Zhengdao's heart tightened.
Empress Xiao only allowed him to visit former officials like the Pei family after she learned that he had gone to the Wude Hall to practice martial arts.
If he had remained a nobody during the Zhenguan era as he had in history, Empress Xiao would certainly not have told him about this matter.
In this way, Empress Xiao probably intended for him to voluntarily hand over the token left by Pei Ju to Li Er, so that he could obtain a better official position after the martial arts training ended.
But did Li Er not know about this token?
He took it directly from Pei Xuanji's hand. Could Pei Xuanji possibly refuse?
However, there is no historical record of this token, nor is there a single word about the net or the group of people involved.
It is now the fifth year of the Zhenguan era. Shi Wannian, the lord of Yiwu City, surrendered his territory to the Tang Dynasty last year.
Next year, Yiwu will be upgraded from Jimo Prefecture to Zheng Prefecture, and the systems of equal land distribution, household registration, and military service will be implemented. This will not only open the eastern gateway to the Western Regions, but also become a stable base for future westward expansion.
After that came the destruction of Gaochang, the attack on Yanqi, the conquest of Kucha, and the establishment of the Four Garrisons of Anxi.
Even without Pei Ju's strategy, the Tang Dynasty's management of the Western Regions was quite smooth.
Thinking about this, Yang Zhengdao found it amusing.
He shook his head; he didn't want to get too involved with these former regimes.
Regardless of the potential profits, the risks are far too high.
"Lady Dili, Pei Hongda has been away from the Western Regions for twenty years. His plans from back then are probably long gone."
A flower in a mirror.
Dili smiled gently: "Although our former master is gone, his influence remains. Ah Lang, you underestimated his talent and Pei Hongda's wisdom."
Yang Zhengdao raised an eyebrow. Could it be that the Pei family's token was indeed very useful? But why didn't Emperor Taizong of Tang (Li Er) use it in history?
Dili seemed to realize that Yang Zhengdao didn't believe her, so she didn't explain further.
When they arrived in the Western Regions, Alang naturally learned the truth.
She paused for a moment, then revealed the purpose of her trip: "My lord, when you go to the Western Regions, please take Caiyi Xing with you."
Yang Zhengdao was taken aback: "I'm going to the Western Regions!?"
"If I'm not mistaken, once you receive the token, you will surely hand it over to the court, and when the court decides to conquer the Western Regions, it will certainly send you there with it."
Why are you so certain?
"Because it will only be useful if Ah Lang goes there with the token."
Yang Zhengdao's eyes narrowed; this was truly unbelievable.
The original owner was a posthumous child; by the time he was born, the Yang Sui dynasty had already died.
If what Dilireba said is true, then there is only one possibility.
Princess Yicheng, the original owner's aunt, should have maintained contact with the Western Regions.
If this is the case, then with the death of Princess Yicheng and the fact that Emperor Taizong of Tang did not trust Yang Zhengdao, the Tang Dynasty did not use Pei Ju's plan in its campaign to conquer the Western Regions.
That makes sense.
Yang Zhengdao raised his eyes, stared at Dilireba's emerald green eyes, and slowly spoke.
"What are you after?"
"Release your citizenship, settle down, and return to a good life."
Laundering your name?! Going ashore?!
Yang Zhengdao never expected this outcome.
But this idea is probably as difficult as climbing to the sky.
If it were an ordinary, lowly person willing to go to the frontier to cultivate land, the imperial court would naturally be happy to release them back to their good home.
However, this is a group of dangerous individuals skilled in infiltration, espionage, and scheming, who also possess a wealth of secrets from the previous dynasty and hidden information about high-ranking families.
Even if Li Er agreed, the Guanlong aristocratic families would not agree, and even if the Guanlong aristocratic families agreed, the Shandong gentry would not let them go.
He could understand what these people were thinking.
According to the system during the Sui and Tang dynasties, people of low social status remained people of low social status for generations.
Fourteen years have passed, and a girl like Dilireba is probably already the second generation of the Colorful Clothes Shop.
Who would willingly expose their belly and become a prostitute when they could be a respectable woman?
Of course, in later generations, someone like Dilireba, even if she can't become a star, can definitely become a big internet celebrity.
The moment the music starts playing in the live stream, it's like a fortune in gold.
Yang Zhengdao shook his head with a wry smile: "Tell me your plans."
Dili smiled and returned to Yang Zhengdao's side.
She swung the large lantern close to Yang Zhengdao's ear and whispered, "In the Western Regions, there are the land reclamation registers and border defense rosters that Pei Hongda brought with him back then. They are all official documents approved by the three provinces, bearing the imperial seal of the former emperor, and handled by Pei Hongda."
Yang Zhengdao's eyebrows twitched: "You mean, using documents from the previous dynasty?"
"Exactly." Dilireba looked up, her eyes sparkling.
This is indeed a loophole that can be exploited.
He took the token to the Western Regions to find former Sui dynasty followers who would submit to the new dynasty.
Simply include all the members of the Caiyi Company into this group of old subordinates and register them together.
As long as the operations are kept secret and the Caiyi Gang can be confined to the Western Regions through the Fubing system, Li Er (Emperor Taizong of Tang) will probably turn a blind eye.
But should we really seize this opportunity to travel to the Western Regions?
Although this could trigger subsequent tasks in the system, going to the Western Regions in this era was truly arduous.
Think of Zhang Qian's mission to India, think of Xuanzang's pilgrimage to India.
If you want a horse to run, you have to feed it well.
Yang Zhengdao's gaze sharpened, and he said calmly, "What can I possibly gain?"
"Among those who were unwilling to travel west, all those in colorful robes returned to Ah Lang."
Should I agree or not?
Yang Zhengdao thought it best to wait and see.
He nodded: "If you need anything in the future, you can go directly to Tun Niangzi at Weiluju."
Is it believable?
"Trust her completely."
Dili then bowed gracefully: "Thank you, Alang, for giving Caiyi a way out."
As she stood up, a faint smile appeared in her emerald eyes.
"If you ask me to stay, I will stay to repay your kindness."
Dilireba left.
She told Yang Zhengdao to wait there, saying that Su Hongyi would come looking for her and would cover up their meeting today.
Yang Zhengdao sat alone in the room, remaining motionless for a long time.
Perhaps in the original history, Yang Zhengdao's life would not have been as uneventful as it is depicted in historical records.
But those few words concealed too many secrets.
The sunlight outside the window had already begun to set in the west, casting long, slanted shadows on the ground. He raised his hand and rubbed his temples.
Colorful Clothes Walk.
A figure in a green robe.
Pei Ju's former subordinates from the Western Regions.
Yang Zhengdao gave a bitter smile. Even though he was a time traveler, he couldn't escape the torrent of history.
"Da Lang————"
"Owner----"
Su Hongyi and Nazha's voices came from outside the door, sounding somewhat urgent.
Yang Zhengdao got up and opened the door, and saw two women standing under the eaves.
He dusted off his robes, straightened his turban, and strolled out.
As he passed Su Hongyi, he suddenly stopped and softly murmured, "July's misty rain, August's sunshine, are you a wind chime or a duckweed?"
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