Jiuxi

Chapter 572 [Suddenly Heavy Rain Falls on Earth]

Guanyuntai is located to the southeast of Wenhe Hall, not far away.

This is the tallest building in the imperial palace, with two floors and more than 20 feet high. Li Duan would go up to the stage to overlook the scenery of the capital in his spare time, which was one of his few pastimes.

However, since falling ill last winter, Li Duan has never come here again.

Four strong eunuchs carried the sedan chair and came to the second floor very steadily. The crown prince and several important officials who were previously in the inner hall also followed. The court officials who were waiting in the outer hall stayed on the first floor.

The weather in late April was relatively mild, the sky was cloudless and the sun was not too strong.

The prince asked someone to bring a canopy and stood behind the sedan chair.

Li Duan looked up and shook his head, saying, "Take it away."

"Yes, Father."

The prince did not dare to disobey, so Lu Shizhou and several eunuchs withdrew, and only the emperor and his ministers were left on the second floor of Guanyuntai.

Li Duan faced north, breathing in the fresh air somewhat greedily, and after a moment he said, "Prime Minister Li."

"The minister is here."

Li Daoyan bowed his head.

Li Duan asked softly, "How is the implementation of the Jingjie Law going?"

Li Daoyan was slightly stunned.

He was already over sixty years old and had witnessed countless separations and deaths over the decades, so he could naturally discern the true situation of the emperor.

In fact, about a quarter of an hour ago, the chief physician of the Imperial Hospital, Katsura Akira, had implicitly indicated that there was no way to save the emperor. At that time, the emperor had been in a coma several times and was near death. Therefore, martial law was imposed inside and outside the imperial city, and the gates of the capital were guarded by captains personally, and all the important officials of the court gathered in the Wenhe Hall.

No one wants to hear the tragic news that shakes the mountains and rivers, but as the backbone of the Great Qi court, they must face this sad fact.

When the news of the great victory in Yongqiu reached the palace, the emperor was finally no longer in the drowsy state of the previous few days, whether it was a last burst of energy or forced holding on. However, he did not care too much about life and death, and did not have much communication with Empress Xu and Concubine Liu.

The only request that could be considered somewhat willful was to have him sent to Guanyuntai.

Even so, he still cares about the people of Da Qi.

Thinking of this, Li Daoyan, who had experienced ups and downs in the officialdom for decades, was speechless. He felt sad and indescribable awe.

Xue Nanting, who was standing by, sighed in his heart and said on behalf of Li Daoyan: "Your Majesty, the boundary law has been implemented in the prefectures of Jiangzhou and Hezhou. The Secretariat has calculated that the taxes in these two prefectures will increase by about 30% this year."

Li Duan thought for a moment and then asked, "What do the local officials and people think of the Jingjie Law?"

Xue Nanting replied truthfully: "Your Majesty, the Jingjie Law is an evil law that forces the gentry and nobles to cede their interests, but it is an inevitable trend and no one can stop it. Even so, there are still some people who are trying to instigate trouble among the people. I and my colleagues in the court will never tolerate this. Whoever wants to obstruct the court's plan will be imprisoned at the least and executed at the worst."

Li Duan looked at the sky in the north and said slowly, "That being said, they are also the people of Da Qi. If we force them too much, it will inevitably shake their foundation. I know that this request is a bit unreasonable. I can only ask you to work harder. Be kind-hearted and act ruthlessly. Be careful about the right degree."

Xue Nanting said convincedly: "I obey your order."

Li Duan said: "Prince, do you understand?"

The prince bowed his head and said, "I understand."

"The Jingdi Law must be implemented unswervingly. It is said that the people are guided by the way that those who have permanent property have permanent heart, and those who do not have permanent property have no permanent heart."

Li Duan spoke slowly, turned his head and glanced at the prince who was listening attentively, and then said: "This is the national policy of the court for the next ten years. It ensures that the people have land and property, and that the court can collect taxes. Only then can your throne be more stable, and Da Qi can cope with the more fierce attacks of Jingguo after recuperation. This will inevitably harm the interests of some people, so killing is inevitable. However, you must remember that killing is only a means, not a way."

The prince said more respectfully, "Yes, Father."

Li Duan paused for a moment and continued, "The reason why I was able to continue the rule of the Great Qi Kingdom is not because I am so great, but because of the unremitting support of the prominent families in the south of the Yangtze River. Of course, we both get what we need, but as time goes by, this relationship will inevitably be eroded by interests and then go on different paths. The rebellion in the capital last year was the manifestation of this intensified contradiction. I have killed many people. In the future, if they don't cross the bottom line, you don't have to kill them anymore."

The prince felt awe-inspiring.

He had never had deep contacts with the prominent families in Jiangnan because he knew how his father viewed those families, which meant that he was destined to be unable to trust this huge interest group.

In addition, he knew that the Jiangnan clans were very close to the Third Prince, and many things in the past showed their support for the Third Prince. Although he could not go against the emperor's wishes and take action against the Third Prince who had been imprisoned in Qiushan Lane, he could cut off the source of the problem and completely eliminate any possible thoughts of the Third Prince, which was to slowly but surely eliminate the power of the Jiangnan clans.

Hearing what the emperor said, the prince suddenly woke up.

In the current structure of the Da Qi court, the border troops have grown into an extremely powerful force. If the central government continues to fight endlessly, it will most likely form a situation of being strong on the outside but weak on the inside.

That is why the emperor reminded him that under the premise that the Jingjie Law must be implemented, as long as the Jiangnan clans do not cross the bottom line, he will have to learn how to deal with it in many cases.

Thinking of this, the prince could not help but say with guilt and reverence: "I will definitely remember your teachings."

Li Duan said calmly: "You are still young. If you don't understand something, ask Li Xiang and Xue Xiang for advice. Don't close your eyes and ears and be arrogant."

"Yes, Father."

The prince agreed and bowed his head to the two prime ministers. Li Daoyan and Xue Nanting hurriedly saluted.

Li Duan raised his eyes to look at Han Zhongjie and Shen Yulai, and changed the subject: "After the great victory in Yongqiu, the Jing army could only retreat to the Heluo area, and they could not hold the northern part of Dingzhou. In this way, our dynasty can actually occupy Jing, Huai, and Ding. The Jing army lost 50,000 soldiers this time, which can be regarded as a loss of vitality, but it is far from the point of collapse. Even if the border has a few years of peace, it will not be peaceful forever. What do you think about the military affairs of the border?"

Although Shen Yulai was the Minister of Military Affairs and commanded four divisions of the Imperial Guards, he was very clear about his position. His only responsibility was to manage the Imperial Guards and guard the capital for the emperor.

In the past, whenever the Military Council held a military meeting, he would only bring his eyes and ears to write down all the details for the emperor without expressing any opinions.

Han Zhongjie knew that he had to answer this question himself.

As the eldest son of Han Lingfu, Duke of Jing, he certainly could not be a yes-man, because the emperor promoted him not only to reward Han Lingfu for his contribution to Da Qi, but also for another important reason which was to balance the strength of the capital army and the border army.

He calmly replied: "Your Majesty, I think it is better to abolish the Huaizhou Military Governor's Office and use the Dingzhou Military Governor's Office and the Jingzhou Military Governor's Office to guard the border."

Li Duan said: "My dear, do you have any recommendations for the position of Grand Commander?" The prince listened quietly, and he suddenly remembered that his father had talked about this topic before.

Han Zhongjie said slowly, "I dare to recommend Shanyang Hou Lu Chen as the Grand Commander of Dingzhou, and also to be in charge of the defense of Panlong Pass in Huaizhou. I ask Your Majesty to make a decision on the post of Grand Commander of Jingzhou."

Li Duan stared into his eyes and said slowly: "Yes."

Han Zhongjie said no more and lowered his head respectfully.

Li Duan was silent for a moment, then said softly, "After the Huaizhou Governor's Office was abolished, Xiao Wangzhi returned to Beijing to act as the Military Academy. Lu Chen took over as the Grand Governor of Dingzhou. Li Jingda has performed well this time, so he can return to Beijing to serve in the Military Academy."

The prince bowed his head in agreement.

Li Duan added: "Li Tianrun is ill and suffering from illness. Let him return to Jiangnan to recuperate. He has worked hard and made great contributions to Da Qi over the years. When he returns to Jiangnan, the crown prince will reward him with the title of Duke. As for the Grand Commander of Jingzhou, Liu Shouguang will take over. Prime Minister Li."

"The minister is here."

"What I just said, you need to include it in your will."

When these words were spoken, everyone was stunned.

The word "last will" is indeed too heavy.

Li Daoyan bowed and said word by word: "I obey your order."

Generally speaking, before the emperor's death, he would appoint one or several important ministers to draft his will. The importance of this appointment is self-evident.

Even though Li Daoyan was very old, the emperor still had great trust in him. Only he could lead all officials, help the new emperor ascend the throne, and ensure a smooth transition of imperial power.

The breeze is blowing gently and the sun is shining brightly.

Everything on earth is at peace.

The capital city is bustling with people and everyone is cheering.

Li Duan huddled in the sedan chair, no longer having the majesty of an emperor he once had.

He looked at the mountains and rivers in the distance and said slowly, "Twenty-seven years ago, I was named a prince by the late emperor. I still remember the heavy rain that day in the old capital. The late emperor told me that as a prince of the royal family, I should be a role model for all the people. To be honest with you, I didn't agree with it at the time, because the late emperor didn't do a good job, and the people of Daqi were living in poverty and hardship."

"I secretly said to myself, if I were the crown prince, if I could inherit the throne, I would definitely do better than the late emperor."

"I never dared to say these words to anyone. It was not until I was about to die that I dared to indulge myself once."

"Twenty years ago, Heluo fell, the sky collapsed and the earth collapsed. I was like a dog that had lost its home, and I was in a state of panic all day long. I almost returned to the mountains and forests, and never cared about worldly affairs since then."

"Because I am actually afraid of death."

He paused.

The Crown Prince and several important officials looked at his thin face with extremely solemn expressions.

Dozens of ministers on the first floor raised their heads. Although they could not hear the emperor's muttering, they could feel the solemn atmosphere.

Li Duan's face turned pale and his tone became increasingly low.

"Fifteen years ago, when I ascended the throne, I had only one wish in my heart."

"Recover the old lands and mountains in the north of the Yangtze River and recreate the prosperity of the Great Qi Dynasty."

"I didn't do it."

"Looking back on these short forty years, there are too many regrets, but——"

He burst out his last bit of strength, slowly sat up straight, and faced north.

"I am worthy of my ancestors and the hundreds of millions of people."

The prince knelt beside the sedan chair and said in a trembling voice: "Father..."

Li Duan turned his head to look at him, raised his trembling hand, and gently placed it on his face, then slowly leaned back and said intermittently: "I can't support you anymore, I can only entrust my regrets to you..."

"I... am really tired..."

The hand dropped limply.

"Father!"

The prince clenched his skinny hands tightly and burst into tears.

"His Majesty!"

Li Daoyan knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face.

"His Majesty!"

Xue Nanting, Chu Huaizhong, Qin Zheng, Han Zhongjie, Shen Yulai and dozens of court officials from the lower levels knelt on the ground, crying out in pain.

The Emperor of Great Qi closed his eyes with a look of relief on his face.

Permanently solidified.

Leave this world forever.

(End of this chapter)