Jiuxi

Chapter 888 [Lonely afterlife]

Li Gongxu took a handkerchief and carefully wiped his grandfather's thin face.

"Old Prime Minister, I still remember what you said."

After the old man calmed down a little, Lu Chen said earnestly: "At that time, the rebellion of the Beijing army was just settled, and Emperor Gaozong wanted to promote Li Shizhi to the position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. You said that everything that rises must fall, and greed is the root of disaster. Before Li Shizhi's rebellion, the Jinlin Li family had already reached the limit of a powerful family, and it would end up like that sooner or later. This time, you killed your relatives for the sake of justice, and although you cannot completely reverse the situation, at least you can get a chance to lie dormant and wait for the next step."

Li Daoyan was silent for a moment, then said softly, "I don't ask for a comeback, I just hope that my children can recognize the situation and stop making stupid moves."

Lu Chen did not persuade him any further.

He would not look down on the other party just because he described him as decadent. In fact, looking at the current court, apart from the Empress Dowager Ning in the palace, the only person he really cared about or was wary of was the old man in front of him.

This seems to be a very contradictory thing. Now that the Jinlin Li family is being criticized by thousands of people and Li Daoyan has left the court, it seems that he has no ability to shake the power of a prince.

But Lu Chen saw it clearly. Li Daoyan and the Li family were not completely equal. He still had the ability to convince Empress Dowager Ning and most of the important civil and military officials in the court.

In other words, as long as Li Daoyan is still alive, he can make all the forces in the court form a joint force. Even if this situation cannot be maintained for too long, it can still cause great trouble to Lu Chen.

Li Daoyan leaned against the soft pillow, as if he had guessed what Lu Chen was thinking at the moment, and said slowly: "What are you worried about?"

Lu Chen said calmly: "In fact, before coming here, I have been a little hesitant in my heart, because I can't guess the old prime minister's intention for asking me to come here, so I can't help but feel a little uneasy."

"Are you afraid that I might make some requests that would embarrass you?"

Li Daoyan shook his head and sighed, "You worry too much."

These four short words are filled with indescribable complex emotions.

Lu Chen looked into the old man's old eyes and finally opened his heart and said, "I thought that after we met, you would ask me why I didn't save Li Zongben."

Li Gongxu, who was standing next to him, was stunned for a moment.

His husband's words were truly earth-shattering, and the hidden meaning in them was like a bolt from the blue.

During this period, he also secretly analyzed the process of Li Shizhi's rebellion. No matter from which angle, when Li Shizhi decided to take action, and he had the cooperation of Empress Xu in the palace, the emperor's chance of survival was extremely slim.

He knew very well how scheming his uncle was. Even if he was not taking the right path, the power that he had been planning for twenty years and then unleashed in one day was enough to bring about the collapse of the sky and the earth.

But what Lu Chen said now showed that he had a chance to save the emperor's life.

Li Gongxu couldn't help but feel excited and at the same time had very complicated feelings.

Li Daoyan lowered his eyes slightly, and after a long while he said, "Actually, if you don't say it, no one in this world can tell whether you are deliberately indifferent or you simply have no idea of ​​Li Shizhi's intentions."

Lu Chen said frankly: "The old prime minister just said that some things can be hidden from the world, but they cannot be hidden from heaven and earth and one's heart."

Li Daoyan sighed and asked, "Then why didn't you save him?"

"Before that rainy night, my wife expressed similar concerns. At that time, I told her that I had been waiting for the emperor's decision. If he was willing to summon me to ask questions in person, instead of being obsessed with suspicion and suppressing me in every possible way, perhaps I would tell him the truth about Ding Hui's assassination, and then let him know who was stirring up the situation in secret. By then, he should be able to understand who the real enemy is and will not go all the way to the end. But until that night, he did not try to do so."

Lu Chen's answer was reasonable and even though it was slightly inconsistent with the way of being a minister, it could still gain recognition from others. However, he changed the subject and said, "Now that I think about it, maybe I didn't want the emperor to take this step at that time."

Li Gongxu suddenly felt very nervous, and he even hoped that the teacher would not continue speaking.

But Li Daoyan remained calm and nodded, saying, "The emperor used Li Shizhi and the Jiangnan clans to suppress you. Li Shizhi took advantage of the conflict between the emperor and you to fish in troubled waters. And you... in fact, from the moment you decided to let Ding Hui return to the capital secretly, you were forcing Li Shizhi to take action. As for what consequences he would cause, you didn't care. Even if Li Shizhi and Emperor Xu gained an absolute advantage, your worst situation would be to flee the capital and rely on the border troops to confront the court."

Lu Chen said: "Li Shizhi said that the biggest mistake he made was to attack Ding Hui, which gave me the only way to turn the tables. He was right. At that time, I couldn't help but think, if Ding Hui hadn't been assassinated, I couldn't force Li Shizhi to take action, then what would be waiting for me?"

Li Daoyan sighed and said, "They will continue to use the principles of justice and loyalty to impose countless restrictions on you. When you can no longer bear it, you will probably make the worst decision and establish a separatist regime in Jiangbei to openly defy the imperial court."

"Yes."

Lu Chen shrugged and laughed at himself, "Since that is a destined result, why should I be so self-indulgent and expose the power I have worked so hard to develop in the capital over the years just to save the emperor's life. If it was Emperor Gaozong, I would naturally not hesitate at all, but this... will he appreciate it? Will he no longer be suspicious because of my action? Will he give up the idea of ​​suppressing me in the future?"

Li Daoyan could not help but remain silent. Li Gongxu looked at his teacher and felt very sad.

He could feel the mixed emotions of disappointment and heartbreak.

“Looking back on the changes in my mentality over the years, I sometimes feel that my situation is very bizarre.”

Lu Chen said slowly, "In the beginning, because of the story my father told me about Marshal Yang, I was extremely wary of the Jiangnan court. In my struggle to move up, promotion, wealth and resistance to foreign races were the most important motivations, rather than loyalty to the emperor and the court. Later, because of Emperor Gaozong's sincere trust, I gradually changed my mind. During that time, I was willing to sacrifice my life for Da Qi, just because I could accept the way of sincerity in exchange for sincerity."

Li Daoyan now understood the young prince's state of mind and took over the conversation, saying, "Li Zongben has destroyed your trust in the court."

"Li Shizhi's instigation did affect Li Zongben's attitude towards me, but the root cause lies with him."

Lu Chen's face was slightly cold, and he said calmly: "He feels guilty, so he is very wary of me. The so-called worry of powerful ministers was not that serious before I reversed the defeat of the Northern Expedition. The old prime minister once said four measures. No matter whether Li Zongben can think of them or not, at least before I became the commander-in-chief of the three states in Jiangbei, how could I threaten his throne? If you say I am young, he is not old at all. He is only two years older than me."

"Ugh."

Li Daoyan sighed and said slowly: "At this point, it is meaningless to discuss who is right and who is wrong."

"Yes."

Lu Chen did not deny it, and continued: "It's just that your analysis of the word selfishness just now can't help but touch my heart. Who in this world doesn't have selfishness? It's just that some people can choose justice at the critical moment, just like the old prime minister who killed his relatives for the sake of justice, while others always indulge in shady and treacherous ways, just like Li Zongben who died at the hands of a palace maid. Of course, I also have selfishness. No matter how the world praises me, I know my heart clearly and I will never give up everything just for the reputation of a loyal minister."

At this point in the conversation, the two had gradually understood each other's thoughts.

Li Daoyan felt that he had failed to live up to Li Duan's trust and had let Da Qi embark on a completely uncontrollable path. No one knew what the situation would be like in the future.

From his heart, of course he doesn't want to see things that are unspeakable.

But Lu Chen's attitude was also very clear. It was impossible for him to retreat now, because if he took a step back he would fall into an abyss. Not only would he be shattered to pieces, but all the people he cared about would also die.

Li Daoyan pondered for a long time and said, "Although I have been ignoring the movements in the capital recently, I can roughly guess what some people are thinking. Queen Mother Ning is a smart person. She understands that the biggest crisis of Da Qi is not you, but the powerful enemies in the north. In addition, the new monarch is young, so she will never repeat the same mistakes. Even if your power has exceeded the scope of a minister, she will continue to tolerate you. As for the important officials in the court, Xue Nanting has experienced these changes, so I think he can temporarily suppress his hard temper. The same is true for Xu Zuo."

Lu Chen was not in a hurry.

He revealed his attitude today, certainly not to seek the approval and understanding of the elderly. At their level, such details are meaningless.

Simply put, this conversation will truly determine Lu Chen's future actions.

Li Daoyan looked into his eyes and changed the subject, "I originally planned to let Zhiyuer accompany you when you went north so that he could fulfill his responsibility as a disciple. But now it seems that my body may not be able to hold on for much longer, and I may close my eyes and leave at any time, so I can only let him stay by my side. I have valued this grandson the most over the years, and I only hope that he can be with me until the end of my life."

This is human nature, and Lu Chen has no objection.

The old man's decision certainly implies some deeper meaning, but this result is acceptable to Lu Chen.

All in all, wait for the future.

Just as Lu Chen was about to get up and say goodbye, Li Daoyan suddenly sighed and said softly, "Lu Chen."

"Please speak, old minister."

"The world is like a game of chess, ever-changing and unpredictable. No one can predict all the changes."

Li Daoyan's face showed a touch of sadness and loneliness. He slowed down his tone and said calmly, "In fact, you worry too much. Now I have no means to suppress you anymore. Those unpresentable calculations will only make people laugh. If you can defeat Emperor Jing this time and let Da Qi regain its homeland, I hope you can treat those people well in the future, because not everyone can decide their own destiny. The wheel of history rolls forward, and loyalty is not shameful."

Lu Chen was slightly startled.

Li Daoyan sat up straight with difficulty, bowed his hands, and murmured, "This is my only request before I die."

Lu Chen stood up, looked at the old man who had worked hard for Da Qi all his life, and bowed deeply.

"Junior, please follow your instructions."

(End of this chapter)