This was a mysterious manor on the outskirts of the capital. The manor occupied a large area, and the silhouettes of several snow-covered hills could be faintly seen in the depths. Not many people knew who the mysterious owner of the manor was, because there were no words or symbols left on the stone plate next to the iron gate.
The fleet of black bulletproof cars and dark green military vehicles were forced to stop in front of the wordless stone plate. Apart from a middle-aged man who looked like a butler bowing respectfully, no one came to welcome them. The iron gate was tightly shut.
The president of the Federation came to visit, but was stopped outside the door. This was unimaginable. No matter which region of the Federation, or even Bermuda, no one dared to do such a rude thing.
The door opened, and the Special Task Force agent in a black suit got out of the car with an indifferent expression. He monitored the surroundings and communicated with the system through the small white piece in his ear, trying to solve the awkward and infuriating situation.
As time passed, Du Shaoqing in the back of the car looked more and more gloomy. Although there was no emotion in his cold eyes, anyone could see that he was about to lose control of the anger in his chest.
The people in the manor treated the elected president who should be respected like this, the person he respected the most. This was unacceptable. He frowned and said, "The Li family is so rude. Do they really think they can do whatever they want with money?"
President Pabre's expression was very calm. He put down the teacup in his hand and looked at him with a smile. "People who are about to leave this world, no matter how many sins they carry with them, should always have some privileges. Moreover, that old man is worthy of our respect to some extent."
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The smooth metal wheels crushed the expensive TLF material floor. Dozens of the most advanced medical equipment in the entire universe were quietly pushed away. The luxurious room suddenly became much more spacious.
The curtain beside the soft bed was blown by the wind. The spacious environment made the shriveled old man on the bed look even smaller.
The old man, Li Yuan Gong, who was the head of the Li family, coughed heavily and let his seventeenth wife wipe the spit on her lips in disgust. He looked at Li Xiuzhu and Li Xiaotong standing in front of the bed and said with a hoarse voice:
"I shouldn't die at this time, but death can't be arranged. It's just time. You don't have to be sad, just remember my words."
The age spots on Li Yuan Gong's face were very thick, and had lost all of their luster. As he smiled, they were like little round yellow leaves floating in a pond, piled up densely.
"What comforts me is that I can see the true sorrow in your eyes. It proves that I was right to choose you from so many boys to be examined. A real businessman doesn't need to pretend to be cold and heartless every day. That's Du Shaoqing. Then what is a real businessman? "
"What a businessman needs to do is very simple, and that is to keep an eye on all the money, the money by your feet, under your bed, the money now, and the money in the future."
"This is not an inferior quality, but the greatest glory, because only money can promote the distribution and circulation of resources. Ever since the Great Calamity, what we have been doing is ensuring the circulation of human society's resources. "
"Merchants are the foundation of modern society. Anyone who tries to stop merchants from earning money is the enemy of all mankind. That's just courting death."
The sparse white hair on Li Yuan Gong's head drooped weakly like old willow catkins blown by the wind. Although his voice was hoarse, it was still firm and powerful.
"I stopped the ambitious president outside and said these words to you because I hope you understand that what merchants need the most is persistence and a strong heart."
He slowly tilted his head to look at Li Xiaotong and said with pity, "I told you three years ago that if you invest, you must persist to the end. Xu Le's matter is too pitiful. You have to know that investing in an emperor is my life's greatest dream. It's a pity that this dream has not been realized until my death."
Li Xiaotong knelt down to admit his mistake. Li Xiuzhu also knelt down.
Li Yuan Gong smiled and said, "You all know that the ancestors of the clan once invested in Emperor Chong. Although we may have missed an emperor, we can't miss it this time. You have to at least invest in a President Chong."
The old man said with faint mockery, "Although there is no challenge in investing in a president, the clan has done it too many times. But it's always better than nothing."
"Don't be fooled by Mochou's attitude. The reason why the madam did not stand out to support her son is because she still has many cards that she has not revealed. She has the right to wait."
"But we do not have the right to wait. Our card is very obvious. It is money, and only money. Continue to increase the support for the silent march. Give the crown prince whatever he wants. In addition, satisfy the needs of Lin Banshan and Big Stick Tian as much as possible."
"As for Xu Le who announced that he will come back, although I think that this stinking rock is a sentimental person, he is still the crown prince of the empire. Let's just watch quietly."
Li Yuan Gong calmly finished the most important instructions and then tiredly waved his hand, indicating that the two most important men of the next generation should leave.
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The room was filled with a deathly silence. The old man of Liyuan Palace who was lying on the bed and President Prabble who was sitting on the round-backed chair at the end of the bed opened their eyes and looked at each other. Neither of them spoke for a long time.
The war between the Federation government and the seven great families had already begun and was about to enter a white-hot state. At this crucial moment, President Pabre had come to the Li family manor. This was a very difficult thing to imagine.
Because of some very important questions, Mr. President had to come. He had to find the answer before this old man closed his eyes.
"Mr. President, my family and I have controlled the Federation finance for many years. Regarding this war, if you want to fight, I can fight. In fact, as long as I say a word right now, the Federation finance system will immediately collapse. The Federation government will go bankrupt this afternoon and the entire Federation will be in chaos. "
If anyone said these words, they would seem arrogant, stupid and comical. But the one who said these words was Li Yuan Gong, so no one dared to doubt it.
"I know very well why you have come. The government accused the Li family of colluding with the empire. I think they don't have the guts to really put my family's Little Seven into the Qingcheng military prison."
The old man of Li Yuan Gong looked at the man in the chair and said slowly, "Using this kind of accusation to threaten me is an ironclad decision. Before the Li family is destroyed, don't you think this kind of request is absurd?"
After a moment of silence, President Pabre replied, "The end of a war is never a complete extermination. The government and the people only need victory, they need the truth. An ancestor of your family once said before his death, 'Even if a flood surges to the heavens after my death, the government does not want to see a flood surging to the heavens. So, the government can give your family some promises in exchange for your compromise.' "
"What promises? Promise not to kill to the last, to leave behind enough funds for my descendants to eat after dividing up all the properties of the Li family? "
The old man said, "You don't understand businessmen. You want to steal my money, which is more terrifying than taking my life. You have to know that the money is mine. It is my business that I am willing to donate it to the army, but when I am not willing, no one can take it away."
"Your army, you have Du Shaoqing, you can kill all the people in this manor, the Zhong family no longer has a tiger, you can even kill all the people of the seven great families, but you are very afraid of this kind of scene."
The old man looked at President Pabre and said mockingly, "Because in that case, the Federation left by the seven great families will only be left with ruins."
"Are you threatening the Federation government?" President Pabre asked with a smile.
"I am just stating the facts." Li Yuan Gong replied with a smile, "Speaking of threats, I believe that the silence of the back mountain is what you fear the most."
There was a long silence.
The old man waved his hand and murmured in a low voice, "Let the government withdraw the accusation against Xiao Qi. Even if I die, I will not let the Federation's economy collapse."
"But this has nothing to do with the government's clumsy methods."
The old man chuckled and said in a low voice, "How can you understand my love for this kind of system? How can I bear to hurt it? I also don't believe that you have the ability to force these thousand-year-old families into a desperate situation where they have to sacrifice themselves for love. "
The old man slowly turned his head and looked into President Pabre's eyes. He said, "In the end, the Crown Prince did very well. Although the impeachment of you on Parliament Hill did not pass the first reading, I think that day will come sooner or later."
"Could it be that when the time comes, you really dare to force Parliament with your army? Even if you really are so crazy, will Du Shaoqing and the military follow your craziness? Even if all of you crazy people really are crazy, don't you know that Xu Le is about to return to the Federation? "
An incomprehensible smile appeared on the old man's face. He said, "Xu Le's return means that the little princess of the Zhong family will return to the West Woods. You and Lee Jae-do will have no chance, unless you dare to fight a civil war."
"As for what kind of crazier things Xu Le will do than you, I can't even imagine."
The old man from Liyuan Palace smiled innocently like a child. The white strands of hair on the top of his head moved restlessly. He looked at Pabre and shook his head with difficulty to express sympathy.
"This war has not yet begun, but you are already doomed to fail. Because you have been walking on the wrong path. To demolish a dilapidated building, one can only carefully start from the top floor. But you have chosen to violently destroy the foundation of the building. Even if you destroy this building, when the building collapses, it will crush all the demolishers, including you, to death. "
After a long silence, President Pabre replied, "Slowly demolish it from the top. I don't have that much time."
"Don't have that much time?"
The voice of the old man from Liyuan Palace suddenly became stern. He coldly asked, "You don't have time, but the Federation does!"
"The chair you are sitting in is the chair I have sat in for decades. No matter where I go, I am used to taking it with me. Because the chair represents position."
"And position represents responsibility."
Liyuan Palace looked at President Pabre expressionlessly and said, "As a democratically elected president, you should know that the president's responsibility is not to realize selfish ideals, but to seek a better present for the people of the Federation."
"You don't even have the right to talk about the slightly distant future!"
President Pabre slightly furrowed his brows.
"The organization of human society is very fragile. It cannot withstand the torment of so-called ideals. You insist on doing this only to satisfy your desire to leave your name in history."
The old man from Liyuan Palace looked at him coldly and said, "You don't have the time, but the Federation does. Your successor does. You can completely lay the foundation and pass the bill without being in a hurry to purge it. Step by step, you can take it slowly."
"You did not do this. You are very anxious, very anxious, because you know that if you only do this, then it will be your successor or even some president several hundred years later who will complete this mission for you. And you will no longer have the chance to become the most famous president or even savior in the history of the Federation."
"Mr. President, admit your selfishness and hypocrisy. Perhaps this will allow me to retain some respect for you before I die."
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President Pabre was silent for a long time. His expression was stern as he replied, "Could it be that you want to place the hope of the Federation's change on the politicians raised by you, or on the aristocrats of the seven great families like Tai Zhiyuan?"
"Why not? History has its own power, and people have an innate desire to betray their own camp. He will do it more smoothly than you. "
"Garbage will never walk into the garbage heap of history by itself. Someone needs to do the cleaning."
Pabre replied. Then his brows furrowed slightly. He felt that this sentence was very familiar, as if he had heard someone say it a few years ago. Because of this memory, his mood became a little strange. Looking at the old man's face full of spots, he asked,
"Speaking of selfishness, what about you? You are no different from the previous dozen or so family heads of the Li family. Your name will not be left in history. Even the people will not know who you are. You will die with incredible wealth in your hands. Don't you feel unsatisfied and feel that your life is meaningless? "
"The meaning of life does not lie in this."
"Then what does it lie in?"
"When you die, you will know that life is meaningless."
The old man of Liyuan Palace looked calmly at the snowflakes outside the window. He sighed emotionally and said slowly in a low voice, "Life is a meaningless journey. So whether it is you or the man who took off my little black hat, all the things you have done in your life are meaningless."
"Maybe what you said makes sense, but I always think that since we are alive, we should do something that we think is meaningful."
President Pabre replied calmly. Since the beginning of the conversation, it was the first time that he used honorifics to this dying old man.
The old man of Liyuan Palace said slowly, "There are two people in my life that I can't see through. One is the man who took off my hat just now, and the other is Xu Le."
"I can't see through the former because I still don't know what he cares about. I can't see through the latter because I don't know why he cares so much."
"After hearing your answer, I finally have the answer. People like you talk about the meaning of life because you are unwilling to be lonely."
A mysterious smile appeared on the old man's face. He murmured with a sigh, "You are all idiots who don't learn. I am very relieved to have confirmed this matter."
After saying this, the old man of Liyuan Palace, who had ruled the Federation's finance and even the economy for 60 years, passed away.
The old man closed his eyes. The little black hat beside his pillow was silent, like an old-style oil lamp that would never be lit. It was said that this represented a certain mysterious religious belief of the ancestors of the Li family.
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