A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

Gao Shi and Cen Shen still held unrealistic expectations of the imperial court.

Through the narratives of Yuan Jie and Li Bai, the sacred filter of the emperor in my heart shattered completely.

Emperors are human beings, with human emotions and desires. They can also make mistakes, and it's not all the fault of treacherous officials.

"Brother Cishan, your trip south to provide disaster relief this time has exposed the inside story of the Ever-Normal Granary, which is very gratifying. We should raise a toast to you."

Li Bai raised his wine bowl, drank it all in one gulp, and then looked worried as he continued, "However, because of this incident, both the Wei family of the imperial court and the aristocratic families have suffered heavy losses."

"The disciples of the Wei family all died for their beliefs, which is admirable."

"However, His Majesty and the aristocratic families will inevitably hold a grudge against you because of this. Things have only just calmed down recently, so you are relatively safe."

"Once the news about this matter fades away, I'm afraid Brother Cishan will be in danger. If Brother Cishan doesn't mind, you can stay at my residence indefinitely."

"However, if we go out, we will probably still encounter danger."

Li Bai hesitated, realizing that if Yuan Jie wanted to ensure his safety, the only way was to stay under his protection, with his movements restricted and no longer allowed to go out.

But this is too cruel for Yuan Jie.

Yuan Jie's hand trembled. He had already anticipated this outcome since he was assassinated even in a heavily guarded military camp.

But he did not regret it, because he could not bear to watch people starve to death; his upbringing did not allow him to turn a blind eye to it.

Although tens of thousands of people are coming.

Yuan Jie's soul had already been elevated at that time; death was nothing to fear.

Moreover, he was unwilling to implicate Li Bai. Even though Li Bai was a disciple of the Prince of Yan, if even His Majesty and the Prince of Yan were assassinated, Li Bai, with his status, would not be able to avoid his household being affected.

Those people are ruthless and insidious, and they don't care at all about implicating innocent people.

If his actions implicate many friends, he would never forgive himself, even if it meant his death.

"No need, Brother Taibai."

"His Majesty has already ceased hostilities with many powerful families, so I suppose they won't risk incurring His Majesty's wrath again for my sake."

"If another major war breaks out between the two sides, neither side can withstand it."

Yuan Jie said nonchalantly.

"Brother Cishan, why deceive yourself? This matter is over. Brother Cishan is of no value to His Majesty, or rather, of little value. It is not worth His Majesty turning against the aristocratic families again."

"Once the storm passes, His Majesty will not care about your life or death, and the powerful families will no longer fear His Majesty's protection of you. At that time, you will only have one way out: death."

"If Brother Yuanjie is worried about implicating us, I can write a letter recommending you to serve in the army on the frontier."

"The Zhenxi Army on the southwestern border is commanded by the lineage of Prince Wu'an, and is sufficient to protect your safety."

Li Bai continued to offer his advice.

Yuan Jie smiled nonchalantly, shook his head, and declined, saying, "I appreciate Brother Taibai's kind offer."

"However, as I said before, I, Yuan Jie, have acted uprightly, sat honestly, and have a clear conscience. Why should I hide?"

"Wouldn't that mean I'm bowing down to them? I can't do that. I will continue to stand before them, upright and honorable, looking at them and telling them, 'I, Yuan Jie, am right here!'"

After Yuan Jie finished speaking, he gracefully downed the wine in his cup in one gulp, as if he were facing not countless assassination attempts by powerful families, but a grand banquet.

"Brother Cishan!"

Cen Shen looked at Yuan Jie with concern.

Yuan Jie smiled slightly at him.

"Brother Cishan."

Du Fu also looked worried, but he understood Yuan Jie's thoughts and didn't know how to comfort him.

The gathering ended in silence, and everyone returned absentmindedly.

The next day, Yuan Jie was specially invited by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang to participate in the grand court assembly. Countless eyes in the court looked at Yuan Jie, some with pity, some with disdain, some with hatred, and some with murderous intent.

Yuan Jie walked step by step to his place, greeted the people he knew, and deliberately showed a bright smile to those who were looking at him with murderous intent, making those members of the aristocratic families grit their teeth.

After a series of rewards and honors, Yuan Jie was promoted to the first rank by Li Longji, officially gaining the right to attend court.

The royal family and aristocratic families were severely weakened by this battle. Even for powerful clans like the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families, the loss of their collateral branches was a devastating blow.

A rare period of peace and tranquility descended upon the world.

Due to the recent battle between the two sides, many official positions in the imperial court have become vacant.

Li Longji seized the opportunity to promote Yang Guozhong to the position of Imperial Censor. After that, his promotion was like a rocket, rising to the position of Prefect of Jingzhao, then Imperial Censor, and finally Right Chancellor, standing on equal footing with Li Bai.

In just a few years, they have accomplished what others take a lifetime to achieve.

Even Li Bai's promotion wasn't this fast.

Li Bai believed that promotions should be achieved step by step, carefully understanding each official position and social class, and advancing gradually.

When it comes to promoting someone like Yang Guozhong, a relative of the emperor, who cares about the stability of his power base or his competence?

It all depends on the emperor's word.

This is what is meant by maternal relatives; it has been the case throughout history.

Although Li Bai's official rank was not as high as Yang Guozhong's, his power and influence in the court were no less than those of Yang Guozhong, who was supported by his friend Li Longji. In fact, Li Bai's power was even greater.

In the thirty-sixth year of the Kaiyuan era, Yang Guifei's birthday was approaching.

The lychees from Lingnan are incredibly delicious and famous throughout the world.

However, lychees have the following properties: their color changes in one day, their aroma changes in two days, and their taste changes in three days.

You simply can't find fresh lychees in Luoyang.

There's not even a chance to eat lychees, as all the lychees spoil after leaving Lingnan.

Emperor Xuanzong (Li Longji) doted on Consort Yang so much that he was almost unable to be happy without her.

Upon hearing that Consort Yang wanted to eat lychees, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (Li Longji) ordered the appointment of a lychee envoy to deliver fresh lychees from Lingnan to Luoyang as a birthday gift to Consort Yang.

This task was then transferred to the Shanglin Office of the Ministry of Revenue.

……

"Absurd, utterly absurd!"

At the Li residence, many friends once again gathered because of the absurd orders of the imperial court.

Yuan Jie has a scar on his face, only three of his ten fingers remain, and he is missing a leg.

His physical disability prevented him from serving as an official in the imperial court, leaving him to retire at home, depressed and unhappy.

That's why he's still alive; those people use this to torment him.

Killing him would have been so satisfying.

"Today in the imperial court, His Majesty actually ordered the appointment of a lychee envoy to send fresh lychees from Lingnan to Luoyang to celebrate Yang Guifei's birthday."

"Lingnan is a full 7600 li (approximately 330 kilometers) from Luoyang. How could it possibly be delivered over such a long distance?!"

"How many trees will be destroyed in Lingnan during this period? How many riders will brave dangers? How many herdsmen's horses will die? How many people will be displaced? And how many people will lose their lives?!"

Du Fu was indignant. All this fuss over a concubine's cravings and a few pieces of fruit?!

Is this still the same wise and powerful ruler who once restored order to the country?

How did I become like this as I got older?

"In my opinion, it's very simple for Yang Guifei to want to eat fresh lychees."

Wang Wei smiled slightly, noticing everyone's gazes, and said, "I have an idea. All we need to do is exile Yang Guifei to Lingnan, and everything will be fine."

"Every year, Yang Guifei could eat the freshest lychees, and she could eat as many as she wanted, even if she ate them as a meal."

"Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"

Wang Wei said with a smile.