Jiuxi

Chapter 834: 832 [Outline of the Universe]

Pingkangfang, Shangshufu.

The bright morning sunshine shone on the quiet courtyard. Li Shizhi, dressed in his home clothes, carefully tended his vegetable garden.

He did all the watering, pruning and gathering the soil himself, without needing any servants to do it for him. Of course, unless they were confidants like Li Jinshan, ordinary servants would not dare to approach the small courtyard in the mansion without permission.

About a quarter of an hour later, Li Shizhi walked to the pavilion contentedly. After washing his hands, he took a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Then he looked at the man standing beside him and smiled, "No one noticed me when I came here, right?"

"Don't worry sir, nothing will go wrong."

The man seemed extremely respectful, and the way he addressed Li Shizhi was different from most people. He acted as if he were Li Shizhi's disciple.

Li Shizhi nodded and said, "I allowed you to join the Weaving Department because you were careful and meticulous enough. Now it seems that this is indeed one of the wisest decisions I have made in my life."

"Sir, you are so complimentary."

The man looked calm and took the initiative to pick up the pot and pour tea.

"Sit down and talk." Li Shizhi asked again, "How is your mother these days?"

"Thanks to you, my mother is in good health and has a good appetite. But she often tells me about what happened back then. She laments that the benefactor was so kind that he helped her without expecting anything in return, and even refused to leave his name."

The man's eyes showed emotion, and he continued, "I remembered the master's instructions and did not tell my mother that it was the master who pulled us out of the fire pit."

"It's just a small matter, but the old man has been thinking about it for so many years. I really feel ashamed of it."

Li Shizhi sighed softly, looking at the lush greenery in the courtyard, the sunlight reflecting bits of gold, and said slowly: "In fact, your success today has nothing to do with me. I just paved the way for you. The rest depends on you. After all, the Weaving Department is a special government office, and Qin Zheng is one of the most powerful people around the late emperor. If I had intervened rashly, you would not have become one of the three great advisers today, and I'm afraid you would have been suppressed by Qin Zheng long ago."

"Qin Tiju is indeed amazing."

The man felt something, and then said seriously: "But you are too modest, sir. If you hadn't pointed me out, how could I be where I am today? Everything is difficult at the beginning, and I don't know how many people fail at the first step. This is exactly the greatest help you have given me."

His name is Shen Yi, and he is now 39 years old. He joined the Weaving Bureau 14 years ago and started as a small clerk. With his outstanding talents, he was promoted to the Inspector of the Capital Bureau.

After Li Zongben ascended the throne, he sent away all of Qin Zheng's cronies, and Shen Yi was promoted to the position of Jingji Jianxiu, and later to Tidian. Now his position is second only to Tijuan Su Yunqing.

Li Shizhi chuckled and said, "No need to be so serious. You and I haven't been together for a long time. We should relax a little."

Shen Yi also smiled and said, "Sir, that's right. I still remember the last time we met was three years ago. During these three years, I have accumulated a lot of questions. Today, I can finally ask you in person."

"You said."

Li Shizhi picked up the teacup with a gentle expression.

Shen Yi said straight to the point: "Qin Tiju was forced to resign. At that time, His Majesty was hesitant between me, Su Yunqing and Lu Feng. Sir sent someone to send me a letter, asking me to withdraw from the competition, but I was a little confused. For me, there is not much difference between being promoted or being promoted, but I think I can help Sir better if I can take a step forward."

Li Shizhi replied bluntly: "The reason is very simple. The one who laughs last is the winner. At that time, Qin Zheng was forced to resign, and his confidants were all driven away. On the surface, this was a great opportunity to fight for power, but in fact it was not. From what I know about your majesty, he is sometimes indecisive, but he is very talented in power struggles. He will use the promotion of the Textile Bureau as a trap to see who will take the bait in the end. Although Su Yunqing is the promotion now, his power is far less than that of Qin Zheng, because of the existence of the three of you. In essence, this is your majesty's intention to check and balance."

Shen Yi suddenly realized and said, "Thank you for your advice, sir."

Li Shizhi smiled slightly and changed the subject: "The previous imperial examination made me look humiliated, but it was not without gain."

Shen Yi's mind raced, and he asked tentatively, "Sir, are you referring to Su Tiju?"

Li Shizhi nodded and said, "I know that Lu Chen has arranged some spies in the capital, but these people can only control a few lower-level officials at most. They have no ability to catch Qi Weili and others. Looking inside and outside the court, only the Weaving Department has this ability, and the only official in the Weaving Department who may have a close relationship with Lu Chen is Su Yunqing. Looking back at the process of Lu Chen's rise, Su Yunqing has had intersections with him at many stages."

Shen Yi thought for a moment and said, "Sir, Su Tiju is extremely cautious. Even if he secretly provides information to Duke Qin, it will be difficult for me to catch him."

"Of course we can't act rashly."

Li Shizhi looked relieved and said, "I asked you to come here today to tell you in person that the imperial inspection is over and there is no point in dwelling on it. From now on, you must find out as much as possible about the relationship between Su Yunqing and Lu Chen, and at the same time, you must not let a third person know about your actions. When the time is right in the future, you can bring out the evidence and make sure you hit the target with one strike."

"I understand, please rest assured sir."

Since Shen Yi has been able to rise step by step relying on his own abilities, he is certainly not a flatterer with great ambitions but little talent.

As long as Li Shizhi explains the whole story to him, he won't have to worry about anything else, Shen Yi will naturally take care of it.

"Of course I feel relieved."

Li Shizhi looked at Li Jinshan who was standing in the distance and made a gesture to him.

After a while, Li Jinshan walked into the pavilion holding a brocade box in both hands, placed it in front of Shen Yi, and then left.

Shen Yi asked: "Sir, what is this?"

Li Shizhi motioned him to open the brocade box, then smiled and said, "After all, your mother is old, so you must not be careless. This is a portion of high-quality Ganoderma lucidum and ginseng that I asked someone to find. You can take it back and keep it. You can use it when you need it. It is my little token of my appreciation to you."

Shen Yi stood up and saluted, and said solemnly: "Sir, your kindness is great, how can I repay you?"

He is now the supervisor of the Weaving Bureau, so his vision is naturally high. He would hardly take ordinary gold and silver seriously, but he knows how rare the things in the brocade box are.

This is a treasure that can save lives at critical moments, and it cannot be bought with money even by the wealthy and powerful.

Li Shizhi waved his hand and said, "It's too formal. You are not allowed to refuse."

Shen Yi bowed his head and said, "Thank you, sir."

"It's a rare opportunity for us to meet, so I should have invited you to dinner, but..."

Li Shizhi stood up and said, "There will always be opportunities in the future." Shen Yi sighed and said earnestly, "Sir, if you have any instructions, just let me know and I will do my best."

Li Shizhi was also somewhat moved, and walked over to pat him on the shoulder and said, "Go."

"Take care, sir."

Shen Yi picked up the brocade box and left with a bow.

Li Shizhi stood in the pavilion and watched him leave under the guidance of Li Jinshan. He stood alone for a long time with a vague look in his eyes.

When Li Jinshan turned back, Li Shizhi had already turned around and sat down, looking calm and composed.

"Master, Su Yunqing may not be strong enough to overthrow seven of your confidants at once."

Li Jinshan's words seemed to have a hidden meaning.

"My father definitely took action, there is no doubt about that."

Li Shizhi picked up the teacup and moistened his throat, then said, "That's good. The only thing I'm worried about is him. He helped Lu Chen this time, and combined with Lu Chen's subsequent self-reflection, it can be seen that they have reached a tacit understanding. My father is warning me, and at the same time, he is trying to show goodwill to Lu Chen, hoping that he will leave Beijing and return to Dingzhou as soon as possible."

Having said this, he smiled meaningfully.

Seeing this, Li Jinshan said no more.

Li Shizhi asked, "Where is Ding Hui now?"

Li Jinshan replied, "Yesterday, the messenger reported that Lord Ding and Prime Minister Xu met in Baoying Prefecture, Huaizhou, and then completed the handover. Then Prime Minister Xu rode back to the capital at full speed, and Lord Ding continued to travel north slowly according to the master's instructions. He should not have entered Dingzhou yet."

Li Shizhi stroked the teacup and fell into a long silence.

Li Jinshan waited patiently.

"Ugh."

Li Shizhi sighed and said hesitantly, "Ding Huixian has served my father for many years and has done his best to help me. Logically, he should have a good ending, but at this point, some things are ultimately unavoidable."

Li Jinshan said cautiously: "Master, Lord Ding is limited by his ability and it may be difficult for him to make further progress. In the future, as long as Master treats his descendants well and gives the Ding family a generous salary, perhaps there will be a better result."

In fact, he knew that Li Shizhi had already made up his mind.

Li Shizhi laughed at himself and nodded, saying, "A hundred years later, I will personally apologize to him. Tell those people to be more careful and not leave any loopholes. Also, be more decisive when you act, and don't let Ding Hui suffer."

"Yes, sir."

Li Jinshan accepted the order respectfully, then retreated with his back slightly bent.

Li Shizhi felt the gentle breeze and turned to look at the vegetable field not far away. The green vegetables were growing well and looked full of vitality.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and whispered to himself: "Life is a hundred years, all due to cause and effect."

He smiled and shook his head.

……

The Duke's Mansion of the State of Qin.

As the wedding day approaches, the decorations and furnishings in the mansion also exude a festive atmosphere.

Because of the arrival of Lu Tong and the Lu family members, Lu Chen completely became a hands-off boss. Not only could he not see Li Bingxue and Gu Wan'er, he couldn't even get involved in the wedding ceremonies. Apart from completing the things that had to be done, he basically had nothing to do and was relaxed.

In reality, he certainly couldn't be so leisurely.

In the inner courtyard study, after listening to the reports from Tan Zheng and Qu Zhong, he had a rough estimate of what his men had gained during this period.

"It turns out that the person who went to Shazhou to buy the Cloud-Channeling Grass is a member of the Jinlin Li clan..."

Lu Chen looked at Tan Zheng and praised him, "This is a good job. Go to the account office to get two thousand taels of silver notes to distribute to the brothers. I have another thank-you gift from Luo Yan."

Tan Zheng cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Duke, for the reward!"

Lu Chen then said to Qu Zhong: "Tell Ning Bugui to focus on catching the big ones and let go of the small ones. He will naturally understand the meaning of these eight words."

Qu Zhong replied: "Yes, Duke."

The two of them then bowed and left. Lu Chen stood up and walked to the window, picking up his pen and splashing ink on the paper.

He looked at the ink on the paper and said slowly, "You have been scheming among the Jiangnan clans for so many years, yet you have been able to hide under the surface. You are indeed an extraordinary person. But what I am more curious about now is how you plan to plot against me next."

There were only three big words on the paper: Li Shizhi.

As Lu Chen wrote another stroke, a vertical line cut through the three words.

"It seems that the old prime minister has only made one mistake in his life, and that is choosing you as his successor."

"pity."

(End of this chapter)