Chapter 614: Chapter 83: Li Longji Returns to the Capital, Words That Strike the Heart

— An Astonishing Change.

No one had ever expected that such a dramatic upheaval would occur in Great Tang in such a short period.

Didn’t Li Longji just depart?

And it was to suppress the rebels.

Could it be that the Crown Prince is also rebelling?

This was the immediate reaction of the people in Luoyang upon hearing of Li Heng’s ascension, and amidst the sensational news, various rumors began to spread among the populace.

The specific details claimed that Li Longji was not there to quell the rebellion but to flee.

No one knew who spread these rumors.

And no one would admit to it.

Li Heng was naturally furious about this, and the ministers cooperated fully, quickly suppressing the matter; though officially banning the spread of rumors, they couldn’t truly stop it.

Afterward—

Li Heng made a shocking move, leading the ministers to the Champion Marquis Mansion.

—to reinstate the Gu Clan and appoint Gu Xuan as the Grand Tutor.

For the current people of Luoyang, this was naturally a major event that attracted everyone’s attention, as the various panic induced by the rumors of Li Longji began to gradually subside at this time.

From beginning to end, the Gu Clan had never appeared openly.

Yet, this did not diminish the weight the two words "Gu Clan" carried in the hearts of the people.

The "foolish" Emperor abandoned the Gu Clan, leading to chaos in the world.

Now that the "wise" Crown Prince ascended and reinstated the Gu Clan, it would naturally clear away the malaise.

This was almost the universal thought among the people.

And Gu Yi would naturally not refuse.

It was time for the Gu Clan to stand up again.

Is the public sentiment unsettled?

Reaching today, perhaps what the Gu Clan feared least was precisely this.

Unless a Gu Clan member truly committed an infamously heinous act or suffered a catastrophic defeat, or opposed a ruler known as an emperor for the ages,

Otherwise, the illustrious reputation accumulated by the Gu Clan over hundreds of years was enough to quell any turmoil.

The current Luoyang was exactly like this.

When Gu Xuan entered the court again as the Patriarch of the Gu Clan and jointly issued an imperial edict with Li Heng, the overwhelming momentum, as if a mountain, instantly came to a halt.

What criticisms were worth following even unto death?

Li Longji’s abandonment of Luoyang was his most mistaken move, just like in the original history when he abandoned Chang’an, waiting for him was only the backlash from losing power.

Gu Yi certainly wouldn’t waste any time.

On the same day he calmed the public sentiment of Luoyang, he dispatched groups of horsemen, setting out from Luoyang in all directions.

Among them were those headed towards Hebei, and those headed towards Tong Pass, including the frontiers.

Although many of these people Gu Yi had yet to make any connections with,

But what Gu Yi had to do now—

was to raise this great banner.

Since Li Longji had already fallen, he couldn’t let An Lushan take all of Luoyang as he had in the original history.

Likewise, it included the subsequent incursion into Chang’an by the Tubo.

The slaughter they caused upon the entire Kyushu was unimaginable to others.

Gu Yi could accept the emergence of chaos.

Because it was a reshaping of order and a progression of civilization.

But he couldn’t allow this time of war to once again harm the very roots of the entire Kyushu!

....

Tong Pass.

After a long expedition, the heavily burdened Li Longji finally arrived at Tong Pass.

In fact, Luoyang was not far from Tong Pass.

But Li Longji was already quite old, and he was under a lot of mental stress as well, making this journey exceedingly tormenting.

Yang Guozhong had already made all the necessary preparations and was just waiting for Li Longji to arrive.

His intention was to leave immediately.

Not only was he afraid of An Lushan’s attack, but he was also afraid of causing other disturbances.

But unfortunately, Li Longji’s body couldn’t endure such a long journey.

Reluctantly, Yang Guozhong could only wait.

In fact, he wanted Li Longji to head to the Shu Region for his own reasons, as many of his confidants were currently there.

It could be said that as long as Li Longji went to the Shu Region, he would already be under his control.

This was the most crucial reason.

Although still worried about unexpected problems, there was nothing he could do about Li Longji’s health.

Worth noting—

Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing were also presently inside Tong Pass.

Due to their departure from Luoyang, they had some interactions with Yang Guozhong, and following Gu Yi’s arrangement to feign obedience, Yang Guozhong now regarded them as his own.

In the face of life and death, Yang Guozhong seemed to understand priorities, realizing his abilities were insufficient, and had long since called these two back.

Inside and outside Tong Pass, no one knew that Luoyang City had turned upside down.

Upon initially reaching the pass, Li Longji was yet somewhat terrified. However, after a stable night’s sleep, the extravagant habits cultivated over years entangled him like vines, swiftly dispelling his fears.

Amidst this heavily fortified frontline pass, he astonishingly resumed his old pleasures, reveling and feasting with Yang Yuhuan and a group of palace maids.

Yang Guozhong grew anxious at this sight, attempting to advise several times.

Yet Li Longji merely waved a languid hand, "Rest a couple more days."

It seemed as if the defensive line formed by a hundred thousand soldiers down the pass provided him with endless security.

Yet, on the very next day.

An envoy sent by Li Heng, along with messengers dispatched by Gu Yi to secretly meet Generals Gao and Feng, almost simultaneously reached Tong Pass.

When Li Longji met the envoy and heard the news that Li Heng had, in Luoyang, "complied with the Celestial Mandate," accepted the ministers’ persuasion, and ascended the throne, he stood there motionless as if turned to clay or wood.

Yang Guozhong, by his side, was also drained of color.

—This news was no less than a thunderbolt tearing through the sky!