Jiuxi

Chapter 486 Chapter 484 [Caosheng Palace Quehe Xiaoxiao]

In the eyes of the people in Yongjia City, among the many government offices in the imperial court, the most leisurely one was the Department of Rites.

People who have a little understanding of the rules of the imperial court know that although the Ministry of Rites is idle, it is valuable. In particular, the officials of the Ministry of Rites have always been candidates for the post of Zhongshu Prime Minister.

In fact, the ministry of the Ministry of Rites is far from simple.

From the various rituals to the rules and regulations that the officials and people of Qi need to abide by, these are all the responsibilities of the Ministry of Rites.

In addition to being in charge of etiquette, diplomacy is also within the scope of the Ministry of Rites.

In addition, it includes but is not limited to selecting scholars through the imperial examination, observing astronomical phenomena, calculating solar terms, formulating calendars, casting official seals, compiling medical books, etc., which are all the tasks of officials of the Ministry of Rites.

Therefore, the Ministry of Rites has direct jurisdiction over yamen such as Taichang Temple, Honglu Temple, Qintianjian, and Taiyuan Hospital.

It's just that there is no profit to be made in these government affairs and there is no chance to be in the limelight, so it gives people the illusion of being very relaxed.

The current Minister of Rites, Xie Zhen, is a very typical old man in officialdom. When the emperor and the Jiangnan clans were arguing about the Northern Expedition, this old man secretly gave Lu Chen eye drops, and he was beaten hard by the emperor. Later, Guo Congyi and Wang Yan When the rebellion failed, he resigned as if frightened, but the emperor never agreed.

Li Shizhi was very calm because he had been waiting for this day for a long time.

Li Daoyan smiled indifferently, looked at his eldest son who was growing up, and said slowly: "Having said that, I probably haven't taught you how to make Guo Wang and Ningle's family die in a different way."

He raised his eyes and looked at Li Daoyan, and said seriously: "Father, running water does not rot the door hinges and does not cause beetles. This is the truth you taught me. I am just doing this according to the boundaries you have drawn. There is nothing else." idea."

Li Daoyan sat on the Grand Master's chair, pointed to the chair below and said, "Sit down."

There were only two father and son in the hall, and the atmosphere suddenly became serious.

During this period, Li Shizhi was busy with government affairs, and Li Daoyan was unable to live in his old age as before. After all, the war in Jiangbei was raging, and the imperial court began to choose to implement the Jingjie Law on a pilot basis. Coupled with the inspection and selection of officials, Xue Nanting was too busy alone. Come, he must drag his old body to sit in charge of the book.

Of course, Li Shizhi knew very well that only a small half of these praises were due to his ability to do things, and the remaining half were directed at Jinlin Li and his father Li Daoyan.

Li Shizhi observed calmly and breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. Even though he and Li Daoyan had big differences on certain issues, this was his biological father, and in the eyes of outsiders, the Li family and his son were one and the same. Of course, he hoped that his father could live a long life.

"Back to my father, my colleagues in the Ministry of Etiquette are very capable. I'm just following the old routine, so I can still handle it."

Nowadays, he hardly leaves home, and the government affairs of the Ministry of Rites are actually handled by two ministers, chief among them is Li Shizhi, the left minister.

In the afternoon at the end of the month, Li Shizhi rarely returned home early and went straight to Jinlin Hall to pay his respects to his father.

"Really? It turns out the problem lies with me."

"You are still as humble as before. In fact, I know that you, Zuo Shilang, have done a good job. You get along with other officials like a fish in water, and you don't delay in serious matters. Such skillful skills show that you have gradually understood the samadhi of being an official."

Although Li Daoyan has not been idle recently, he is in good spirits and looks tougher than before. Perhaps this is the meaning of power to men.

Li Daoyan's tone was calm, and it was hard to tell whether it was a compliment or a sarcasm.

Others couldn't see the role he played in the Beijing army's rebellion, but Li Daoyan would definitely be aware that he had been waiting for his old father to mention it.

In just four months, Li Shizhi managed the Ministry of Etiquette in an orderly manner. Whether it was the funeral of the eldest prince or the canonization ceremony of the prince, he handled it very properly, without any disrespect or waste. Too many silver coins won the praise of all the people in the court.

"Yes, father."

Li Shizhi replied calmly: "This is all thanks to my father's words and deeds. I dare not be unmodest."

It had been a long time since father and son had sat down and talked.

"Have you been doing well in the etiquette department recently?"

Li Daoyan laughed at himself, and then said: "Although I am old and frail, my memory has not deteriorated. I remember that you were firmly opposed to the Northern Expedition and wanted to use this to unite other high-ranking families. Why did you backhand betray them?"

"I did think so at first, because the Northern Expedition goes against the fundamental interests of our Jiangnan family. Everyone else can benefit from the Northern Expedition, but we can't. So even though I knew my father would care, I still tried to stop the Northern Expedition. ”

Li Shizhi took his time and said in a sincere tone: "But later I discovered that Wang Yan and others didn't even have the most basic sense of advance and retreat. I just wanted to stop the Northern Expedition, but they wanted to fight with His Majesty. Father, in order to reassure His Majesty, you specifically allowed The authority to publish the book was given to Xue Nanting, and I also reported illness and went home to recuperate for a long time. The essence was to avoid a direct conflict with His Majesty, but they refused to even make the most basic concession and refused to let go of the power in their hands. They even asked someone to assassinate Hou Yu in order to intensify the conflict."

Having said this, he couldn't help but sigh, shook his head and said: "From that time on, I was sure that I could not work with these people, so I gave them a push secretly, which was considered to be in line with His Majesty's wishes and to resolve this conflict as soon as possible."

He was so calm that Li Daoyan had nothing to say.

Although his methods are a bit despicable, it is nothing in the power struggle. If the Jinlin Li family is in danger, Li Daoyan believes that those people will behave even worse.

After a moment of silence, Li Daoyan said softly: "What do you think of the current border war?"

Li Shizhi pondered: "Although I am not familiar with military affairs, I also know that Jing's army is coming this time with great ferocity. Qing Yugong is the God of War in the hearts of Jing Lian people. I am under great pressure from the frontier army. In fact, father does not need to care about my thoughts. , I opposed the Northern Expedition in the past, but it does not mean that I will hold back at this critical moment. Besides, I, a minister of the Ministry of Rites, have no right to interfere in military affairs. If my father wants to ask my opinion, then I don’t think Jingjun will give in to this battle. Try your best, Emperor Jingguo is a very patient person, he probably wants to use this battle to seek benefits, and wait until the future to use all the strength of the country to go south. "

Li Daoyan's gray eyebrows wrinkled slightly: "Do you still think that the strength of the frontier army should be restricted?"

Li Shizhi flatly denied: "No, I think we need to give the border army all-round support at this time. Father, after experiencing so many things, I have thought clearly that Emperor Jingguo will not be satisfied with ruling by dividing the river, and father I will never change my ways and become a minister of subjugation. As your eldest son and shouldering the legacy of the Jinlin Li family for hundreds of years, how can I not be clear about right and wrong? Repeating the mistakes of the warriors two hundred years ago and causing wanton killings, however, there are priorities. Compared with the aggressive Jingjun, the conflicts between our central government and the border troops can naturally be put aside for the time being. "

There was another long silence.

Li Daoyan said slightly tiredly: "It's best if you think like this. The court cannot fall into civil strife when there is a powerful enemy." Li Shizhi responded respectfully: "Yes, father."

He saw the tiredness in his father's eyes, so he stood up and saluted, "Father, it's better to take a nap. I'll take my leave now."

Li Daoyan waved his hand.

After a long time, he looked into the void ahead and said, "Go and call the juvenile fish."

A deep voice came from the shadow next to him: "Yes, Prime Minister."

Li Daoyan tapped the armrest with his thin fingers, recalling his eldest son's words today in his mind.

Judging from those sincere words, Li Shizhi seems to have really realized the mistakes of his previous stubbornness, and gradually gained the concept of putting the overall situation first. As long as he can maintain such a correct mentality, coupled with his almost impeccable political ability and profound knowledge, His knowledge is worthy of the heavy responsibility of the next head of the Jinlin Li family.

However, Li Daoyan lowered his head slightly, his eyes were obscure, and he whispered to himself: "Nine points are true and one point is false. What are you hiding? You said that Wang Yan and others went to assassinate Hou Yu and then framed the blame on His Majesty. Let you see You know the true nature of these people, so why did you have a hand in them? In order to hide it from my eyes and ears, you deliberately chose the dead men you raised outside to assassinate Hou Yu, but you never thought about this world. There are no absolute secrets.”

"It's appropriate. As a father, I really want to know what your obsession is, but it's very likely that I won't get the answer in this life."

A desolate look appeared on the old man's face.

"My grandson pays his respects to his grandfather."

Thirteen-year-old Li Gongxu walked into Jinlin Hall with vigorous steps. His stature had grown a lot compared to the beginning of the year, and now he had the air of a handsome young man.

But he is by no means a spoiled dandy like Li Yunyi. He has been with Li Daoyan since he was a child, and was taught by the old prime minister step by step. He has instilled so much talent and learning in his belly, and naturally developed a charming spirit with poetry and calligraphy in his belly. .

"Get up."

Li Daoyan's expression remained as usual, looking at his grandson who was kowtowing respectfully, he smiled comfortingly.

Li Gongxu stood up tall and looked calm.

Li Daoyan looked at his delicate features and said with a smile: "Xiao Yu'er, grandpa will find you a powerful gentleman, okay?"

……

Imperial City, Wenhe Hall.

"Chairman Li Tianrunqi: The current war situation in northern Xinjiang is entangled and entangled. The enemy's army is powerful and blocks the sky. Our border troops are restricted by the long border and are restricted everywhere..."

Prince Li Zongben's Qingyue voice sounded in the hall.

He held the secret book from Jingzhou and read it meticulously.

Li Duan was leaning on the couch, his eyes looking straight ahead, and a touch of complicated emotions appeared on his slightly pale face.

"...At present, powerful enemies are attacking us just as we did in the past. Although I am sick and disabled, I am still willing to offer advice to the emperor and lead the army in front of the battle to relieve the danger on the border and protect the rivers and mountains of Daqi."

The prince couldn't help but stop reading here, his expression was quite sad.

In fact, he had only met Li Tianrun twice. The most recent time was eight years ago. When Li Tianrun won the Mengshan victory in Jiangbei, broke the myth of Jingjun's invincibility, and then returned to Beijing to receive the reward, he did not have deep feelings for this famous general, but he became After the prince really came into contact with the government, he truly understood who was struggling to move forward against the power of Da Qi.

Among them were his father and the loyal ministers and generals like Li Tianrun who contributed everything to Da Qi.

People like Li Tianrun would never exaggerate. Since he used the words "sick and mutilated" in the secret, it means that the real situation is more serious.

Li Duan didn't move his eyes and only said one word: "Nian."

"Yes, Father."

The prince quickly agreed and read the secret written by Li Tianrun in a slow speech speed.

The hall was very quiet.

Li Duan narrowed his eyes slightly, suppressed the emotions in his heart, and said slowly: "They are all stubborn people."

The prince did not dare to answer.

Li Duan fell into a long silence. This king who had experienced countless ups and downs in his life appeared to be calm, but in fact he was in a fierce battle between heaven and man.

He didn't know whether he should agree to Li Tianrun's petition.

At this moment, the extremely cautious voice of the great eunuch Lu Shizhou sounded outside: "Your Majesty, the Ministers of Military Affairs, Mr. Liu, Mr. Zhang, Mr. Lu, Mr. Shen, and Mr. Han are asking for an audience outside the palace."

The prince changed color slightly.

These five people came together to seek an audience. Something big must have happened. Could there be changes on the border?
Li Duan sat up, his eyes clear as usual, and said calmly: "Xuan."

(End of this chapter)