Jiuxi

Chapter 891: 889 [Feeling ashamed]

November 19, the second year of Dingzheng in the Great Qi Dynasty.

Slanting wind, drizzle, and endless coldness enveloped the world of Jinlin County.

Inside the Li family's ancestral home, sadness, fear and confusion formed a thick fog in the hearts of the Li family members, so thick that they could hardly see the way forward.

Qiuhuaitang, the inner room.

Li Daoyan's two surviving sons and more than ten direct grandchildren could only wait outside. Only Li Gongxu was serving them inside. In addition, there were several important figures of extremely noble status.

The left prime minister Xue Nanting and the right prime minister Xu Zuo stood side by side. Next to the sickbed sat a graceful and elegant woman. She was the current emperor's mother, the Empress Dowager Ning.

The six-year-old emperor Li Daoming stood respectfully beside his mother, looking at the haggard old man on the couch with his slightly confused eyes.

After Li Shizhi was beheaded, Li Daoyan managed to hold on for three months, but now he was at the end of his life.

He had fallen into coma several times in the past few days. The Li family did not dare to go to the capital to report, but the palace eventually received the news. Empress Dowager Ning hurriedly brought the emperor and two prime ministers to Jinlin County under the protection of three thousand imperial guards.

Queen Mother Ning folded her hands in front of her and said with a look of grief: "Prime Minister Li, I am here to see you."

Li Daoyan forced a smile and leaned against the soft pillow and said, "Thank you, Queen Mother, for your grace."

Empress Dowager Ning's sadness was not false, and at the same time, she felt a bit of panic similar to that of the Li family. The only difference was that the latter were worried about their own future and destiny, while Empress Dowager Ning was worried about the fate of the Great Qi.

Although the old man in front of her had been away from the court for more than two years, as long as he was still alive and conscious, Empress Dowager Ning felt at ease. This was one of the reasons why she was able to deal with Lu Chen calmly, and it was also the reason why she decisively separated the Beijing Li family and the Jinlin Li family.

But human destiny is determined by heaven.

"Queen Mother..."

Li Daoyan coughed twice and said slowly, "This old minister has received the emperor's grace and favor for many years, and has lived to the age of seventy. In fact, this is already a perfect state. The queen mother does not need to be sad."

Having said that, how could Queen Dowager Ning remain indifferent?

She said solemnly: "Prime Minister Li, how can I, the Emperor, and even the Great Qi court leave you?"

"I am ashamed to accept this."

A trace of melancholy appeared on Li Daoyan's face. He looked at the young emperor who seemed to be well-behaved at an innocent age, and couldn't help but sigh. Then he turned to the two prime ministers standing beside him and said sincerely: "Prime Minister Xue, Prime Minister Xu, I have a few words from the bottom of my heart, please just listen to them."

Xue Nanting and Xu Zuo bowed their heads slightly and said, "Old Prime Minister, please speak."

Li Daoyan warned, "It is inevitable that the Kingdom of Jing will go south. In addition to the fighting on the battlefield, Emperor Jing and Qing Yugong will definitely send a large number of spies this time to spread rumors and sow discord within our dynasty. I hope you two can distinguish right from wrong and assist the Queen Mother and Your Majesty wholeheartedly. Don't make the same mistake and fall into the enemy's trap."

The two prime ministers agreed in unison.

They knew very well who Li Daoyan was most likely targeting with his words of sowing discord.

Looking through the glorious history books, there are countless examples of generals fighting desperately on the front lines while court officials were suspicious and framing Lu Chen in the rear. Even the Great Qi had the precedent of Yang Guangyuan. Therefore, when Emperor Jingdi decided to send troops, he would definitely let the spies find ways to slander and defame Lu Chen. If the Great Qi court could not control itself, even if it was just suspicion of Lu Chen, it would cause unpredictable tragic consequences.

At this time, the attitudes of the two prime ministers are very important. As long as they work together to assist Empress Dowager Ning and the emperor, they will be able to suppress the turmoil in the court and the country.

Li Daoyan continued, "At least... before the dust settles on this national war, the officials of the various ministries in the court should not move rashly, especially the Minister of Revenue Gao Huan. I know that some officials are resentful of this Minister Gao and think that he is not worthy of being in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, but Prime Minister Xue and Prime Minister Xu should know that only by letting Gao Huan take charge of the Ministry of Revenue can the young prince feel at ease. Therefore, no matter what others think, I implore you two to give Gao Huan some support when the time is right."

Xue Nanting said first: "Please rest assured, old prime minister, I will handle this matter properly."

Xu Zuo also did not express any objection.

After talking about a few more things about court officials, Li Daoyan became very weak. Li Gongxu couldn't help but feel worried, and Xue Nanting and Xu Zuo also stopped talking in time.

Li Daoyan drank a few sips of ginseng tea, and then said softly: "Queen Dowager, may I have a few words with you in private?"

Empress Dowager Ning nodded and said, "I couldn't ask for more."

She asked the two prime ministers to take the young emperor to the outer room, and Li Gongxu followed closely behind, so there were only two people in the inner room.

Li Daoyan was silent for a moment, then asked with some difficulty: "What does the Queen Mother think of the Prince of Huai'an?"

Queen Dowager Ning had been mentally prepared for this. Although she had always told herself that the biggest crisis facing Da Qi now was the Jing Kingdom in the north, the fact that some problems were temporarily shelved did not mean they did not exist, such as the hidden dangers caused by a weak ruler and strong ministers.

She sighed and said, "In my opinion, even if those things hadn't happened in the past six months, it would have been difficult for the Prince of Huai'an to be a loyal minister of Da Qi for his entire life. I'm not judging others by my own standards, but the Prince of Huai'an rose to power at a very special time. His resume is different from that of most officials, and the power he represents is actually in opposition to the central government. Even if he himself has no ambitions in the short term, the people around him will push him up."

"The Queen Mother is thorough."

Li Daoyan nodded, and then said: "This is a helpless choice of choosing the lesser of two evils. If the spearhead is directed at Lu Chen, regardless of whether it can be achieved, it will definitely benefit the Jing Kingdom in the north. If the foreign enemy is the primary target, Lu Chen will become even more powerful and difficult to control. I know how difficult it is for the Queen Mother to make this choice, and this is originally a problem that we should solve. I feel guilty and uneasy in my heart." "Prime Minister Li, please don't say that."

Queen Mother Ning shook her head quickly and said with a sigh: "Prime Minister Li has worked hard for the Great Qi all his life. He should have been enjoying his grandchildren and living out his old age, but he has to worry about the safety of the country again and again. How can I bear this? As for the Prince of Huai'an, I can only treat him with sincerity. Over time, I think he will understand my good intentions and will not go against the orthodoxy and commit crimes against his superiors."

Li Daoyan's dim old eyes were full of admiration, and he reminded: "Shen Yulai, Chen Lanyu and Zhang Xu are all loyal ministers who can be used. The Queen Mother might as well show them more favor and not force them to compete with Lu Chen. At least they can protect the emperor and the country. In addition, the Queen Mother does not have to focus only on Lu Chen. In fact, the border army generals are more worthy of attention. Try to show favor and promote some unappreciated generals, rather than let their future be closely tied to Lu Chen. This way, you can make a roundabout way forward."

Empress Dowager Ning's eyes lit up slightly.

Although she was intelligent, she lacked experience in governing and had previously acted mostly on instinct. After Li Daoyan's explanation, she couldn't help but feel as if things had suddenly become clear.

Li Daoyan forced himself to cheer up and continued, "Among the officials in the court, Wang An and Gao Huan will definitely stand on Lu Chen's side. The Queen Mother should not take action against them unless it is absolutely necessary. It is unwise to alert the enemy. As for Su Yunqing of the Weaving Department, after the war is mostly settled, the Queen Mother can choose a suitable time to let Qin Zheng take power again. Only he can remove the fire from the bottom of the fire. Otherwise, no one else can shake Su Yunqing's prestige and status in the Weaving Department."

Queen Mother Ning was moved and said sincerely, "I will remember this."

Li Daoyan looked at her and said, "Queen Mother, after the death of this old minister, please keep the funeral simple and do not hold a grand ceremony."

Queen Mother Ning was startled. She stopped saying polite words and shook her head, saying, "Prime Minister Li is a model minister and has made outstanding contributions to the Great Qi. How can I treat him so easily?"

A trace of guilt appeared on the old man's face, and he slowly said: "Queen Dowager, I was not good at educating my son and I didn't know how to judge people. Li Shizhi's rebellion almost brought down the Great Qi. The Queen Dowager took into consideration my old age and not only did she not punish me, but she also gave me many rewards. I am grateful and ashamed. How dare I ask for honor after my death? Moreover, I was too selfish when I was in office, so Li Shizhi had the ability to disrupt the government. I... feel ashamed of the court."

Queen Mother Ning looked at the pain in the old man's eyes and felt the same pain for a moment. She said softly, "Prime Minister Li, no one is perfect. You have done well enough."

Li Daoyan smiled bitterly.

Empress Dowager Ning saw that his breathing was getting weaker and weaker and knew that she could not delay any longer, so she stood up and walked to the outer room, motioning for everyone in the Li family to come in. She, Li Daoming, and the two prime ministers waited outside.

More than twenty people swarmed in. At this time, Li Daoyan on the couch had closed his eyes, scaring everyone into crying out.

Li Daoyan suddenly opened his eyes and raised his skinny right hand with difficulty to point at the young grandson.

Seeing this, Li Gongxu knelt forward to the bedside, stretched out his hands and held the old man's hands, tears already streaming down his face.

"Young fish..."

Li Daoyan looked at Li Gongxu steadily, with a sharp light suddenly flashing in his old eyes. He held his hand tightly and said, "Don't learn from me, and don't learn from your uncle. The future of Jinlin Li family is entrusted to you."

Li Gongxu cried and said, "Yes, Grandfather, I will keep it in mind and will not slack off for even a moment."

"Ho ho..."

The old man made a sound that sounded like crying and laughing, and looked up.

Over the past seventy years, the world has undergone tremendous changes.

When he was young, he had lofty ambitions and cared about the people. When he was in his prime, he encountered many setbacks in his official career.

When he reached middle age, he finally got the opportunity to realize his ambitions.

Just as he said to Empress Dowager Ning, this life can be said to be perfect, but it also left great regrets.

Decades of ups and downs finally came to an end on that stormy night. He looked at the young seventh prince and secretly made up his mind to write a story of monarch and minister with him that would go down in history.

Looking at the still clear figure in his memory, Li Daoyan said with difficulty: "Your Majesty, this old minister is here to see you..."

Before he finished speaking, the hand fell down dejectedly.

"Grandfather! Grandfather!"

Li Gongxu burst into tears.

There was a sudden sound of sorrow in the room.

Outside, Empress Dowager Ning held Li Daoming's hand and bowed her head towards the inside.

Xue Nanting and Xu Zuo bowed deeply and kowtowed deeply.

There was a heavy storm outside, and the sky and the earth were dark and gloomy.

The sound of wind and rain continued, as if it was seeing off the old man who had worked hard all his life.

(End of this chapter)