The Lord who use immortals as food

The wind blowing in the court lasted for almost three days, and there was almost no news in the court for three days.

That day, the saint took the memorial back and said that he would take a closer look. The saint read slowly, so naturally no one dared to urge him, but the two purple-robed men standing at the head of the ministers did not show much expression. Li Du still stood silently, as if he had nothing to do with all the turmoil. Yuanzhao still submitted memorials every day and made drastic changes to everything he wanted to do.

With such a new prime minister, the court would always be in chaos, but fortunately, not many of his memorials could pass, as if no matter how different the style of the assistant prime minister was, the imperial pen would always have its consistent principles.

Just when many people were wondering how long this suspenseful situation would last, at dusk on the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, Li Du returned to his residence in Shenjing and received a letter from the west.

The letter paper was very flexible and thick, not so delicate. Although it was white, it was not bright, but rather a bit dark, like snow frozen by the wind. This is paper from the West, and Li Du is very familiar with the touch.

The handwriting on it is also very strong, thick like a mountain, light like a cloud, and the tip of the pen is like a sword... Since a long time ago in childhood, Li Du has been very familiar with this kind of handwriting, which is completely different from the exquisite small regular script he is good at.

Li Du lowered his eyes and looked at this short letter. He was silent for a long time, and then he put it on the table without saying a word. The maids in green clothes stood by. Li Du took off his warm cloak and said in a low voice: "Bathe and change clothes."

...

Daming Palace, Zichen Hall.

Lu Chunshui put his legs together, put his hands on his knees, and looked at the ground quietly.

This philosopher is actually the most well-known face in Tianliyuan. Zhu Wen lives in seclusion, Nan Xiu is old, and Lu Ding is estranged, but Lu Chunshui is in his prime. He was born in a noble family, has a good character, is elegant and beautiful, and holds the title of Hanlin scholar. He is one of the few people who have met the saint the most.

However, even Lu Chunshui could not come to this bedroom very often, and he only visited alone very rarely.

As the candle burned, the inner door creaked slightly, and then there was the familiar footsteps. Lu Chunshui did not look up, but stepped forward from the chair and knelt on the ground, saying respectfully: "Your Majesty."

"No need to be polite, sit down."

The Tang emperor sat back in front of the table, and Lu Chunshui stood up, bowed and stepped back to sit back in the chair.

He raised his head, and the holy face on the top was still indifferent and handsome. A yellow silk tied up his slightly wet black hair. The court clothes had been changed. The emperor always wore casual clothes in this bedroom, and Lu Chunshui always wore the same clothes every time he came.

Even as one of the few noble "close ministers" in the eyes of the court officials, Lu Chunshui was actually not more familiar with this saint than others. He did see this holy face more often, but many times Lu Chunshui did not feel that he was facing a person, but more like a will, or a cold cliff.

Wrapped in a warm human body, you are only familiar with the habits of this body, whether it is light tea or strong wine, apricot blossoms or peach blossoms... only these insignificant things.

But perhaps only such a high will can support this empire called "Tang". Perhaps, just as the legendary history, the emperor of Kirin blood will coexist with their empire, share the will of Kirin's longevity, and will never make wrong decisions because of the coma and emotions of "people".

However, Lu Chunshui is at least used to one thing, that is, you can be as straightforward as possible in front of this figure.

He said respectfully: "Your Majesty, I have a question, will the theory of the two heavens really take root in my Tang Dynasty?"

The Tang Emperor looked at him and did not speak for the time being.

"When I entered the Tianli Academy, I asked to see the emperor and said something from the bottom of my heart. I wonder if your majesty remembers it?"

The Emperor of Tang nodded: "You said, 'The Tang Dynasty was not established for the sake of heaven, but the heavenly principles must exist for the Tang Dynasty.' This is your true creed for entering the academy."

Lu Chunshui bowed: "After several years, your majesty still remembers it."

"Lu Ding also thought so, but he didn't tell me." The Emperor of Tang said lightly, "Go ahead."

Lu Chunshui said: "Now I am short-sighted, I only think that the heavenly principles of the two heavens are not good for the Tang Dynasty."

The Emperor of Tang paused, but did not speak.

Lu Chunshui said seriously: "Allow me to express my humble thoughts, and hope Your Majesty can solve the confusion: the establishment of the Tang Dynasty lies in enriching the country and strengthening the army, so that the surrounding countries dare not invade; enriching the country and strengthening the army lies in the governance of the saints and the five surnames; the reason why the saints and the five surnames govern prosperously is because of the guidance of the unicorn; the reason why the guidance of the unicorn is correct is that they follow the will of heaven and respond to the times."

"Therefore, the emperor and the five surnames all believe in the fate of the unicorn, and all bear the blood of the unicorn. When the northern wilderness invaded the border, Lu and Li fought to the death, as solid as an iron wall; when the southern country had military affairs, Zheng used half of his wealth and refused to give up a city or a town. This is because the five surnames believe that the Tang Dynasty is their own Tang Dynasty. Although half of the power of the Tang Dynasty is in the aristocratic families, the aristocratic families will never abandon the Tang Dynasty."

The Tang emperor nodded: "Yes."

Under the connection of the unicorn blood, there is no stronger alliance of interests between the royal family and the five surnames. For hundreds of years, they have been following the guidance of heaven and have indeed reached the only top in this world.

"But the argument of the two gods is by no means to establish another god that has nothing to do with it, nor is it just to seize the authority of the five surnames." Lu Chunshui was silent for a moment, and said seriously.

Li Du cares about this phase, and many people in the five surnames care about the promotion of those scholars who put them aside, and care about their own lofty and unique status, but Lu Chunshui doesn't care.

He pursed his lips, wrung his hands, and whispered: "The two gods violated the authority of the only Haotian, so the five surnames have doubts about their situation, and inevitably have distracting thoughts, and even... the unquestionable position of the saint, the unshakable words of the saint... are all loose."

The Tang emperor said nothing.

"It is too early to say, but since there are such signs, I have to express my worries." Lu Chunshui looked at the ground with deep eyes and took a deep breath. "I say that the authority of Haotian is not important, but the authority of Qilin is very important; the four princes of the five surnames can be in power, and the Jinyang prince of the scholar army can also be in power, but it must be selected by the blood of the unicorn - this is what I really worry about."

"When I entered the Tianliyuan, I had a heartfelt word with your majesty, which was considered treasonous. Now I have something even more treasonous, and I still want to tell your majesty."

"Please speak."

Lu Chunshui stood up and looked directly at the holy face on the high ground, and said word by word: "It is better to have no true heavenly justice in the Tang Dynasty than to have no Qilin in the Tang Dynasty."

The Tang Emperor looked outside the palace.

"Heavenly law is ruthless and will not assist the Tang Dynasty; Qilin has a destiny and coexists with the Tang Dynasty." Lu Chunshui bowed his head and bowed again, saying softly.

There was silence in the Purple Palace for a while, and the Emperor of Tang withdrew his gaze: "What Mr. Lu said, I have figured out after ascending to this position for a few years."

Lu Chunshui bowed his head.

"Everything Mr. Lu said is based on my ability to change the theory of heaven, and the theory of heaven cannot bypass Qilin to be imposed on Tang... Just like the past thousands of years, it only exists invisibly. Whether people are farming or fighting, they don't need to understand the law of heaven." The Emperor of Tang turned his head towards him indifferently and curled his lips. It was probably the most gentle and kind smile Lu Chunshui had seen on this face in all these years.

"..."

"However, the Tian Lun's theory was not what I wanted. What is right is right, what is wrong is wrong. Since the two Tian Lun's theory has been raised, I will follow it. It is not against the will of Haotian."

"..."

"As for the successor you mentioned, it has always been chosen by Qilin, and I will not disturb it. It is the same now." The Tang Emperor lowered his head and closed the two memorials he had just commented on, and looked at him, "Thank you, Lu Qing, for coming to advise late at night - how was Zhier's condition after he went back that day?"

Lu Chunshui paused: "The fourth prince is fine. The injury was originally minor, and his mind is still clear. However, the prince will look at his neck in the mirror when he wakes up in the morning, and often thinks for a long time."

"That man's sword was very fierce, and it might not be a minor injury." The Tang Emperor said, "I still trouble the two philosophers to take care of it."

He lowered his head to review, and the palace became quiet, which meant that Lu Chunshui could leave.

Lu Chunshui stood up, but took two steps forward, took out a letter from his sleeve and presented it with both hands, bowing his head and saying: "I came from Prime Minister Li's house the day before yesterday, and Prime Minister Li asked me to present a letter."

"Bring it up."

Lu Chunshui presented it, and the Emperor of Tang took it and unfolded it. He only glanced at it twice and put it on the table to comment. This paragraph took a long time to write, probably longer than the letter itself.

Lu Chunshui stood beside him respectfully, but the Emperor of Tang did not hand the letter to him when he stopped writing.

"This letter will be returned to the court." The emperor said casually, "You go now."

...

On the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, the long street was covered with frost in the early morning, and the end of the year was just around the corner.

When everyone went to court this morning, what surprised everyone was that there was only a purple robe left in front of the ministers, and the noble old man in a clean and upright dress was gone.

The news didn't spread until the court meeting was held. It turned out that Li Xiang had been working hard for a long time. In the past few days, the cold weather suddenly fell and he fell ill at home. The saint had personally sent palace servants to greet him.

So after the court meeting today, countless people did not have time to take off their official robes and went to the prime minister's house. Although few people could enter, many people still stepped on the snow to express their feelings. Many people also handed in greeting gifts and cards. For a time, the house was almost crowded.

However, people only knew the next day that this prime minister of the Tang Dynasty had submitted a letter to the saint yesterday to retire and return home. The saint still refused because the affairs of the court were heavy and he still needed to be a righteous person. Someone in the court saw the imperial edict of approval, which was a page full of sacred traces.

The next day, Li Xiang wrote again, saying that he was old and had been in the capital for a long time. He only wished to return to his roots and enjoy the rest of his family. The saint refused again.

It was not until the third day that Li Xiang wrote three letters to ask for retirement that the sage gave a reply of "reluctantly allowing him to return to his hometown to recuperate", which meant that after the old man had recovered, he would still return to Beijing to serve as the prime minister.

However, among the many memorials that were approved in the past few days, there was another letter that Li Xiang had written a few days ago. The content was not too eye-catching, at least it did not attract much attention in the recent trend. It was Li Du's casual advice, saying that the position of Shangshu Ling had been vacant for many years, so it would be better to dismiss it.

The red pen said: "Not necessary."

The sage did not need any checks and balances between the two prime ministers.

The stars fell at night, and Li Du stood on the top of the small building in his cloak, looking at the capital in front of him. The lights were like a sea of ​​stars in the cold night.

In the past three days, the movements of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Rites were particularly intense, so the retrial of Prime Minister Xu Ji's case had begun to be promoted, and the "New Law of Imperial Examinations" was also being revised and prepared. When Xu Xiangqing's reputation was restored, the "New Law" could be formally proposed, and it could be easily rushed before the next year's imperial examination.

As for the official documents submitted by Di Jiu, Guan Zhiyi, and Yu Ziqian, they were still returned to the various departments for review. The sage commented: "Be strict and be cautious."

It means that the names mentioned in the case should be checked, and the names not mentioned or the things that are based on rumors should not be involved.

Li Xiang's sudden departure caught the entire court off guard. Many people who gathered around this big tree have not yet been properly settled, but Li Du did not see anyone tonight, and did not want to see anyone again. He held a short note and stood alone on this small building for a long time.

There were people in the house, and the sound of moving and collecting objects.

Until a long time, someone came up to remind: "My lord, it's late at night."

Li Du nodded, raised the letter in his hand, and burned it on the candle next to him.

The candlelight illuminated the final appearance of these words, which was actually like an ordinary family letter.

《Letter to Brother on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month》

“After not seeing you for many years, I am glad to receive a letter from you.

I learned last night about the changes in Chang’an that you mentioned. The lake and pond are half frozen, and the defeat of Linzi is inevitable. The changes in Tianlun are not only seen by you, nor are they limited to one city or one dynasty. They are complicated and obscure, and I am afraid that no one in the world can understand them. It’s just that the world is reshuffled, and all living things are insects and ants. I have told you about it a few years ago.

You are sixty-eight this year. You have left your country and hometown and bowed to the court for dozens of years. I wonder if you still remember the old house. The courtyard wall? A few days ago, I had someone demolish the west wall of my father's library. It had always been covered with brocade. When I took a look that day, I found that the inside had already decayed. Jing'er and Zhang'er ran and played there every day, which was a problem.

The younger generation misses their brother very much. The plum forest at home has bloomed. I remember that when they were young, their brother was very happy and hoped to come back to enjoy it together.

I respectfully write this down. "

Li Du watched the ashes disappear, tightened his cloak, turned around, and said in a calm voice: "Keep it tonight. I will go to court for the last time and return to Xilong before the New Year. "