"The surname is inherited, but it is used by the aristocratic family to distinguish the noble from the humble. I deeply hate this. I was born in a humble family and know the sufferings of the people, so I can understand the profound meaning of His Majesty's reforms."

"The one I am loyal to is Your Majesty, no matter where your Majesty is from, what your name is, and no matter what the name of your country is."

"But Li Mi is different. He is loyal to Emperor Li Tang."

"Now Li Mi is pretending to welcome you and is accommodating to Your Majesty in every possible way, but secretly he has evil intentions and wants to murder Your Majesty!"

Yuan Zai made an impassioned speech and his tone gradually became excited.

Xue Bai listened silently and asked: "You need evidence to speak. How does he plan to harm me?"

"I dare you to ask your majesty, did Li Mi present the elixir?"

"good."

Xue Bai pointed to a box on the imperial desk.

Yuan Zai stared at it, his pupils dilated, showing great importance. Xue Bai then ordered his chamberlain to open the box, and inside were two bright red pills.

"Your Majesty, this medicine is poisonous!" Yuan Zai said excitedly.

He originally doubted whether Li Mi was really capable of assassinating him, but only then did he confirm that he finally had a handle on the other party.

"Is this it?" Xue Bai picked up the red pill, looked at it, and said, "It must be a misunderstanding."

"Everything I said is true. Guo Ziyi's son-in-law Zhang Yong told me privately that Li Mi refined a poisonous pill... Your Majesty!"

After Yuan Zai said this, he suddenly exclaimed because he saw Xue Bai casually throw the pill into his mouth.

He was so anxious that he quickly stepped forward and stretched out his hand to help Xue Bai spit it out, but he did not dare to touch Xue Bai and was so anxious that he was at a loss.

Then, with just two crisp sounds, Xue Bai bit it into pieces and chewed it in his mouth.

"Your Majesty, it's poisonous, spit it out quickly."

"Yuan Qing, don't worry, it's not poisonous, you might as well try one."

Yuan Zai was stunned, looking at Hong Wan in front of him, and for a moment he almost thought that the emperor was going to kill him.

But Xue Bai had finished eating calmly and motioned for him to try it again.

Yuan Zai had no choice but to reach out and take it.

"It is poisonous. I am willing to die to follow Your Majesty."

He was worthy of being the person who once pursued Wang Yunxiu. Although he knew that the red pill would probably not be poisonous, he still showed a sincere look. He frowned with a bitter face, raised his head, and resolutely threw the red pill into his mouth.

inside.

This elixir is probably coated with sugar and is a bit sweet.

"Crack."

He bit it into pieces and found it somewhat delicious. It had a crunchy texture and a wheat flavor.

"This is?"

Yuan Zai's eyes widened, somewhat confused.

He has never eaten this before.

"Wheat sugar is made of wheat flour, honey, and milk." Xue Bai asked, "How does it taste?"

"tasty."

Yuan Zai answered like this, feeling very disappointed in his heart, knowing that the wheat candy would not be poisonous.

He would rather it was poisonous, so poisonous that he fainted and fell to the ground, becoming seriously ill.

As long as he can get rid of Li Mi, this is the price he is willing to pay.

Looking up again, Yuan Zai was suddenly startled.

He found that Xue Bai's eyes looked at him with some kind of meaningful scrutiny, which made him startled and he lowered his head subconsciously.

However, when he raised his eyes and took a peek again, he saw that Xue Bai's expression was as usual, and he couldn't tell anything at all.

"In the past, I looked back at Li Linfu's party who was united and opposed dissidents. Now I don't want this kind of atmosphere in the court." Xue Bai said, "To put my mind into benefiting the people, I need loyal ministers, but more importantly, capable ministers and good ministers."

"I obey the decree."

Yuan Zai was frightened and quickly responded.

It was night, and he couldn't sleep. All he could think about was why Li Mi offered two wheat candies.

In a daze, the scene when Li Mi offered candy appeared in his mind, and even Li Mi's calm and unhurried voice still sounded in his mind.

"I have devised a plan to predict that Yuan Zai will come to slander me..."

Yuan Zai woke up suddenly and felt a strong uneasiness.

~~

After failing to get rid of Li Mi this time, Yuan Zai felt uneasy and took the initiative to avoid Li Mi's advances and did not dare to compete with him for power in the court.

Therefore, Li Mi took the opportunity to recommend Cui Youfu and Zhang Xun to the rank of prime minister.

Both of them were Jinshi scholars and had outstanding character and talent.

Although Cui Youfu is the son of a serious family, his attitude towards the New Deal is very fair, and he is not like other families who are bent on protecting the interests of the family. After being persuaded by Li Mi, his behavior has changed a lot. He has been involved in many matters, which makes him more acceptable. Accepted by the aristocratic family; Zhang Xun was a scholar, but during the chaos, he tried his best to guard the two Huaihe gates, and his prestige was very high. Once he paid homage to the prime minister, he became a figure like a needle in the court.

On the other hand, Li Mi took the opportunity to win over many financial officials under Yuan Zai, such as Liu Yan, Yang Yan, Yang Wan, Wu Qi, etc., making the implementation of the new law smooth.

After an incident, the court and local officials were afraid that the emperor would raise the table again, so they changed the name of the country in anger, trying to calm the situation as much as possible and work honestly.

There is an atmosphere of "a filial son emerges from a stick".

In the autumn of this year, Xue Bai personally inspected the local acres, settlements, and taxes, and found no major flaws for the time being. He then acknowledged that Li Mi had brought staged progress to the New Deal and praised him.

Faced with the compliments, Li Mi still showed a helpless attitude, and responded: "Your Majesty has given you too much praise. I don't ask for rewards from Your Majesty, but I only ask Your Majesty not to be angry anymore."

"In your mind, the fault is that I am too easily angered, rather than the private plan of annexing fields and hiding the population."

"Your Majesty is definitely not at fault." Li Bi said, "But your Majesty's reaction was too extreme."

In fact, after so long, Xue Bai is now very calm.

"I'm in a good mood today. Please treat Brother Changyuan to a meal."

"I thank your Majesty for the banquet."

"No need to be restrained, just leave the palace incognito."

Li Mi originally wanted to dissuade him, but Xue Bai even gave up his royal name. This trivial matter seemed not worth dissuading.

They then went to a restaurant by the Qujiang River with ease and order. Xue Bai asked, "Are there any crabs?"

"Hey, there are not many people who eat crabs, but Mr. Lang knows how to eat them." The shopkeeper said with a smile, "Qiugao crab fat, this is a popular food nowadays... But, does this Taoist priest also eat crabs?"

"He has no taboos."

"Okay, you two sit down for a moment."

Sitting next to the window, the wind was blowing quite comfortably. Xue Bai turned around and looked outside, and saw many children flying kites by the Qujiang River.

Li Mi was a quiet person, and if he really didn't want to speak, he now shouldered heavy responsibilities and had to maintain the stability of the country, so he still spoke.

"How can you bear to destroy this prosperous age because of your own selfishness?"

Xue Bai asked: "Did you come out of the mountain because my father-in-law persuaded you, or do you just want to try your hand in the world in your heart?"

Li Bi said: "I am a monk, and I am indifferent to clarify my ambitions."

"One husband, one husband, a thousand lives and ambitions are a good picture." Xue Bai said: "Can an indifferent person write such a poem?"

"That was when I was young."

Xue Bai looked out the window and said: "I was very crazy when I was young. I always thought that only I could revitalize the Tang Dynasty. I was destined by fate and was the most qualified person in the world. Therefore, I was determined to be the emperor and did not care about anything.

, by any means necessary. When I thought about it at the time, it was no pity to throw away my identity. When I decided to pretend to be Li Qian, I had no nostalgia for 'Xue Bai'."

Li Bi said: "Your Majesty is indeed destined by fate."

"But the reason why I must be this emperor is really to change the Tang Dynasty, not to enjoy it. Of course, I also have selfish motives. I don't like to be oppressed by class, and I hate having anyone nobler than me."

When Xue Bai said this, he nodded to himself.

"I would rather die than live in a world where high and low are clearly stipulated. I am an official, a white person, and a lowly servant, so I fight for it at all costs."

Li Bi said: "Since ancient times, people have been divided into high and low."

"As you practice Taoism, don't you believe that all living beings are equal?"

"I was born in the Li family, but I am not the royal Longxi Li family, but the Li family in Liaodong. I belong to the sixth family of the Li family in Zhaojun. My ancestors were one of the eight pillars of the Western Wei Dynasty. It was passed down to my generation and I have been raised strictly from generation to generation.

"

"I know what you want to say." Xue Bai said, "The efforts of your ancestors are what make you what you are today. I can't erase these inheritances with one sentence... This is because our concepts are different in our bones. You are used to the distinction between superiority and inferiority.

I'm not used to it."

"Your Majesty is the most noble person in the world."

"You won't believe me if I tell you. I hate people being nobler than me, but after becoming the emperor, I don't like being nobler than others either. It doesn't mean much."
To be continued...