Da Tang Si Zi: My Six Super Rich Little Nuggets!

Chapter 73 Du Yuanying, a woman full of wicked schemes

In the pitch-black imperial bedchamber, Li Zhi blew out the candle on the candlestick and opened the window to admire the moonlight.

He took a few breaths, and as soon as he drew the curtains—the kind from the Yonghui era—the little rhinoceros in the room lit the candles again.

"The moonlight is nowhere to be seen, but the candlelight is just right!"

"Don't worry, Brother Zhinu, what you need to do right now is relax and clear your mind. Today has been another long and busy day!!"

Li Zhi said, "I'm not sleepy. I'll take advantage of this candlelight to chat with Xiao Si."

Si Zi asked with a smile, "Brother Emperor, why are you so fond of Xunzhou?"

The Emperor asked in confusion, "Oh? What makes you say that?"

Si Zi was beaming with pride, the pockets that had fallen out all about the future: "Let me tell you, our Tang family's Xunzhou is a super popular 'place for troublemakers to take photos'."

The Emperor asked curiously, "Famous people who have committed crimes? Aren't they infamous? Popular tourist spots? Do you mean places like imperial palaces?"

Si Zi blinked: "Haha, Emperor brother, you probably don't know, that's a 'safe haven' for more than a dozen ministers. Four prime ministers of the Tang Dynasty all 'settled down' there!"

Li Zhi asked in surprise, "Really? Which four prime ministers?"

Si Zi said mysteriously, "I heard this in my dream, so don't blame me for not being accurate. It's about Du Yuanying, Niu Sengru, Zhang Xi, and Cui Hang. These four people all 'enjoyed life' in Xunzhou."

Li Zhi was completely bewildered: "I don't recognize any of them, haha, it seems these are all talents from the future world!"

Xiao Si: "Haha, Emperor brother, you'd better keep your eyes open! Du Yuanying, that 'wicked general,' just hearing his name back then made everyone think that he was full of evil intentions!"

Li Zhi: "A villainous general in the future Tang Dynasty? That's a big problem."

Xiao Si: "That's right, he's not just sweet-talking, he's ruthless! In order to cater to your future successor, he deliberately increased the burden on the people and plundered their wealth. Even the common people call him 'the big-bellied man who eats people without spitting out the bones'!"

Li Zhi: "Du Yuanying, right? What about his subordinates? Does he maintain an army of soldiers?"

Xiao Si: "Haha, the soldiers' lives were even worse! They neither trained nor repaired the city walls, and even reduced the soldiers' rations, leaving the soldiers guarding the frontier starving. The army's discipline was lax, and the border defenses were relaxed, which ultimately led to the invasion of Nanzhao. At that time, things were truly collapsing both inside and out!"

Li Zhi: "This fellow is both a scholar and a warrior, and he's got a whole repertoire of evil deeds! If he continues like this, the Tang Dynasty is in real danger."

Xiao Si: "However, it makes sense. Du Yuanying has top-notch overall qualities. He is definitely a renowned expert. Otherwise, your successor, the emperor, wouldn't have thought much of him. He is quite good at writing poetry. He has exchanged ideas with big names like Bai Juyi and Han Yu."

Li Zhi: "This expert is a scoundrel of a scholar. Have his poems even survived?"

Xiao Si: "Hehe, it really has spread. He was quite accomplished in literature and was good at regulated verse. His poems are in the Complete Tang Poems, and even the Complete Tang Prose includes four of his articles! If you want to say that he was a bad person, he not only had bad ideas in his belly, but also 'talent'. He was really not bad."

Li Zhi: "It seems that although this guy's behavior is despicable, his talent has still been recognized. He is thoroughly evil, yet he is hard to ignore."

Xiao Si: "That's true. Besides, such people are not uncommon in history. The worst thing is when a rogue is cultured."