Jiuxi

Chapter 887 885 [Long Live the Name]

On the morning of September 25, Huai'an Prince Lu Chen, along with his family, led the Dingbei Army, Feiyu Army and Ruishi Battalion to leave the capital, and all the civil and military officials in the court followed the order of Empress Dowager Ning to leave the city to see him off.

After the team had traveled more than ten miles, more than three hundred riders suddenly left the main group and turned west.

At about three quarters past noon, this team of knights appeared outside the east gate of Jinlin County.

Lu Chen pulled the reins and looked up at this world-famous county town.

Qin Zilong went to negotiate with the soldiers guarding the city. After a while, a captain came over and bowed to Lu Chen, saluted him and respectfully invited him into the city.

Riding into the county town, what Lu Chen saw along the way was not much different from what he saw when he came here five months ago. However, when the pedestrians on the street saw this team of cavalrymen in bright armor and neat uniforms, the panic on their faces was clearly visible, and they all tried to avoid them.

This shows the huge changes.

Most of the farmland in Jinlin County belongs to the Li family. Almost 80% of the people in this city depend on the Li family for their livelihood. Before Li Shizhi got into trouble, how could the people in the city be afraid of the soldiers sent by the court? But now they are like frightened birds.

Even though Empress Dowager Ning had clearly written in the imperial edict announced to the world that the crimes of treason committed by the first and fourth branches of the Li family and the third branch of the side branch had nothing to do with the Li family members who remained in Jinlin County, and that the old Prime Minister Li Daoyan was able to expose Li Shizhi's true face in time out of the interests of the country, this case would not implicate the people in this county.

However, Li Shizhi's rebellion had already dealt a devastating blow to the Jinlin Li family.

The power in officialdom that had been cultivated and won over for decades was lost in one day, and their reputation in the market plummeted. Now, the Jinlin Li family can no longer continue to lead the Jiangnan aristocratic families. The Li family members are like rats crossing the street when they go out. Most of them dare not reveal their background. It is no longer like before, when the four words "Jinlin Li family" would win countless respect and awe as soon as they were uttered.
Lu Chen came in a hurry this time and did not notify the Li family in advance, so the Li family was not aware of it.

When he arrived at the majestic gatehouse of the Li family's ancestral home, Li Daoyan's two sons and Li Gongxu hurried to greet him.

"Meet the prince."

Li Gongxu was kneeling behind his elder, his head almost reaching the ground.

His youthfulness has faded now, and although his thin shoulders are still unable to carry the weight of the family, he is no longer the naive boy he once was.

Since his grandfather was still alive, he was not worried about the purpose of this cavalry team's trip, but he didn't know how to face his husband.

Now that Jinlin Li has become a traitor who plotted treason and murdered the king, am I still worthy of being his disciple?
In a trance, he felt the elder in front of him hurriedly move away, and then a figure appeared in front of him, and a slightly teasing voice sounded.

"Don't call me Master, call me Your Majesty. Do you want to betray your master?"

Just such a simple sentence made Li Gongxu's eyes slightly red and tears glistened in his eyes.

He raised his head, looked at Lu Chen's gentle face in the bright sunshine, and couldn't help but said in a trembling voice: "Sir."

"I, Lu Chen's founding disciple, cannot cry and look miserable."

Lu Chen stretched out his hand to pull him up, and said with a smile: "What's wrong, is someone bullying you?"

Li Gongxu quickly calmed down and shook his head, saying, "No, I was just agitated for a moment, please punish me, sir."

"Okay."

Lu Chen raised his hand and gently patted his shoulder, his smile becoming more and more gentle: "I punish you to lead the way and take your master to meet the old prime minister."

"Disciple, obey."

Li Gongxu smiled with tears in his eyes and turned around to lead the way.

Walking into the deep courtyard of the Li family's main residence, Lu Chen felt quite emotional.

It was late autumn, and the flowers, plants and trees were gradually withering. However, compared with this bleak scene, this mansion with many buildings was filled with an extremely depressing atmosphere, which made Lu Chen feel even more depressed.

Passing by Banshantang and looking at the Jianxi Pavilion standing by the water, Lu Chen couldn't help but think of the more than ten chess games during that period.

How could he and Li Daoyan have imagined at that time that Li Shizhi had already decided to take that path and bring about earth-shaking changes in Da Qi in just half a year.

When they arrived at Qiuhuaitang where Li Daoyan lived, the others tactfully stopped and stayed outside.

Li Gongxu stepped aside and said, "Please come in, sir."

Lu Chen followed him into the courtyard, walked along the corridor, around the rockery and flowing water, and met Li Daoyan, who was nearly 70 years old, in the main hall.

"Old Prime Minister..."

Lu Chen bowed, then his eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the old man lying on the couch, and he could no longer utter the following words of greeting.

In less than two months, Li Daoyan's aging was alarming.

His body was thin and gaunt, his cheeks deeply sunken, he was no longer the prime minister of the Qi Dynasty, second only to the emperor, but just an ordinary old man who was about to die and exuded a strong aura of death. "You are here."

Li Daoyan forced a smile, then looked at Li Gongxu and raised his right hand slightly.

The young man suppressed his sadness, stepped forward to help the old man sit up, and placed a soft pillow under his waist for support.

He moved another chair and placed it next to the couch, then stood silently by the side.

Lu Chen sat down, his eyes always fixed on the old man's face. Even though he had a thousand words in his mind, he didn't know where to start.

"As the saying goes, birth, aging, illness and death are common to all people. I once thought I could be more detached from it, but when I was about to die, the fear in my heart could not be shaken off."

Li Daoyan spoke slowly, and asked with a bit of self-mockery: "Do you know why I am afraid?"

Lu Chen thought for a moment and said softly, "Your Majesty, you have devoted your whole life to the cause of the country, but Li Shizhi's ambition almost ruined your life's work. Although the Jinlin Li family did not suffer the fate of being wiped out because of your sacrifice of your own family for the greater good, it is foreseeable that in the next few decades, every member of the Li family will have to struggle hard with the stigma of being a traitor. I wonder how much effort they will have to put in to live an upright life."

"Yes."

Li Daoyan lowered his eyelids and said slowly: "It is unavoidable for a man to have an unvirtuous wife and unfilial children, let alone an ordinary man like me."

Lu Chen sighed in his heart.

He could continue to declare in public that Li Gongxu was his disciple, and could even promote this young man as much as possible in the future, but Li Shizhi had committed the crime of regicide, and there would always be people from Qi stabbing Jinlin Li in the back.

Whether they can wash away such sins depends only on the efforts of the Li family members themselves.

"The Li family has fallen into this situation, and it cannot be entirely blamed on Li Shizhi's willful behavior."

The old man spoke again, his tone revealing a hint of disappointment: "If I hadn't been so selfish, the situation wouldn't have turned out this way."

Lu Chen looked at him steadily, obviously not agreeing with this statement, because when the old man left the court, it was already difficult for him to change Li Shizhi's decision.

Li Daoyan suddenly coughed. He raised his hand to signal Lu Chen and Li Gongxu not to worry. After calming down a little, he continued, "Thinking back to the past, I failed in the power struggle in the central government and was driven out of the capital by those people to Xinzhou in the south of the Yangtze River. I was full of resentment and just thought that if I could do it again, I would never fail again. Unexpectedly, not long after, Heluo fell into the hands of foreign races, the emperor and the crown prince died in the palace, and the Great Qi Dynasty was almost overturned."

Lu Chen listened quietly.

"Emperor Gaozong fled south in a hurry. I realized this was a great opportunity, so I immediately contacted Lord Han to welcome him. Then, before others had any second thoughts, I hurriedly persuaded him to ascend the throne and continue the country's prosperity. In fact, Emperor Gaozong knew that I was not very loyal, but I valued my loyalty more."

Li Daoyan showed a guilty look on his face and shook his head, saying, "From the beginning, I have been harboring too many selfish motives."

Lu Chen shook his head and said earnestly: "The saints judge by deeds, not by heart."

"That being said, I cannot hide it from the world or myself."

Li Daoyan took a deep breath and said, "Emperor Gaozong and I relied on each other and gradually conquered all forces in the court. He was finally ready for the Northern Expedition, and I successfully became the powerful prime minister. In just over a decade, the Jinlin Li family became the leader of the Jiangnan clan. At this point, what I pursued was no longer just power. Do you know what it was?"

Lu Chen sighed: "Leave your name in history."

"hehe."

Li Daoyan chuckled with a complicated expression, and then said: "Yes, it is to leave a name in history. You once said that it was because I gave Emperor Gaozong strong support that he was able to suppress the Jiangnan clans. You praised me for caring about my country and the overall situation, but you don't know that this is just my own selfish desire. In the final analysis, I don't want to give up the power and family wealth in my hands, nor do I want to become a treacherous prime minister who will be infamous for thousands of years, so I am so torn between the two."

Lu Chen looked at his gloomy expression and didn't know how to comment for a moment.

How many people in this world can truly be selfless?
The old man in front of him worked hard all his life to stabilize the court in such a complicated situation. This cannot be judged by simple black and white, loyalty and treachery.

Li Daoyan looked ahead and said with a sigh, "As early as when I was begging for my bones, I had already noticed that some of Li Shizhi's actions had crossed the line, such as his secret collusion with Hou Yu, and his efforts to let Yuan Xingqin control the Beijing Army's brave camp. If I had made up my mind to kill my relatives for the sake of justice, he would definitely not have had the opportunity to take that step, but--"

The old man stopped and looked at Lu Silently for a moment, then shook his head slightly and said: "I can't let go of the results of my life's hard work, the position of the head of the Jinlin Li family, and the wealth and glory of my descendants, so I pretended not to see it, foolishly and greedily keeping the idea of ​​deceiving myself. If it weren't for selfishness, if it weren't for the obsession in my heart, why would it be like this?"

"grandfather."

Li Gongxu obviously noticed that the old man was a little agitated, and couldn't help but speak with concern.

Lu Chen signaled him with his eyes not to stop him, and then said in a slow tone: "Old Prime Minister, you have been worrying about this country and this family for your entire life, don't blame yourself too much."

"It all came to a close."

Li Daoyan smiled sadly and whispered, "Because of my selfishness, I have failed Emperor Gaozong's earnest expectations. How can I face him again in the future? The Jinlin Li family has fallen to this point, perhaps this is the retribution I deserve. This is called self-inflicted."

A turbid tear slowly slid down the old man's cheek.

(End of this chapter)