Li Yishan was hunched over a table on the dark and damp top floor, writing about the ups and downs of the power struggles of the past dynasties. He had already written about the current emperor and Zhang Julu. He shook his wrist and accidentally dripped a few drops of ink onto the paper. Looking at the slowly spreading ink stains, this chief advisor of the king's residence who had lived in the pavilion for twenty years suddenly felt nauseous. He hurriedly covered his mouth, picked up the wine gourd by his feet and swallowed the blood that surged up his throat with a mouthful of Green Ant Wine. After putting down the wine gourd, his vision was blurry. The end of the scroll, "Since ancient times, incapable and lazy rulers nurture powerful ministers. In this dynasty, the famous ministers assist the emperor. How strange." The few words were written crookedly and lost its usual style.
Li Yishan sighed softly. He put down the hard brush and placed it on the brush holder. He spat out a mouthful of foul air mixed with the smell of wine and blood. Li Yishan casually flipped open a few books about the dynasty's geography that the five or six servant girls of Wutong Garden had recently compiled together. He put them down after a few glances. He struggled to stand, pushed open the door and walked to the corridor under the eaves. After thinking for a moment, he walked downstairs for the first time. For some reason, the white fox face also followed behind him. They walked to the first floor and out of Tide-listening Pavilion. They came to the lakeside where tens of thousands of precious koi fish were raised. The servants guarding the pavilion were shocked and immediately notified the King of Beiliang. Li Yishan stood at the edge of the pavilion, swaying. He waited until Xu Xiao ran over before he sat down with difficulty. Xu Xiao sat next to this nation scholar who had been called the right hand man with Zhao Changling back then. He put his old fox fur coat on Li Yishan and said with a frown, "Yuanying, your body cannot withstand the cold. Why did you come out of the pavilion?"
Li Yishan covered his mouth and still could not stop coughing. Xu Xiao hurriedly patted his back gently. The Spring and Autumn State Scholar looked at the lake with a serene gaze and said softly, "Great General, how many years have I been with you?"
Xu Xiao sighed, "It's been 32 years. Back then, I was a barbarian of humble birth. Not many scholars were willing to be my subordinates. They all found it embarrassing and humiliating. Only you and the two rash youths from Changling came stupidly. Back then, I felt that you two either had problems with your heads or had ill intentions. Later, I found out that I had picked up a treasure. "
Li Yishan retracted his hand and put it on his knee. He smiled and said softly, "General, Zhang Julu is a minister with more ambition and talent than me and Zhao Changling. Is it tiring to have such a court opponent?"
Xu Xiao gently patted the back of his old partner of more than thirty years and smiled, "What's there to be afraid of with you around? In any case, I've always been the one charging and breaking through enemy lines, while you've always been the strategist. Have you ever been afraid of anyone? "
Li Yishan grimaced and said, "You are such a scoundrel."
Xu Xiao laughed and said, "I'm just a rough person. Other than the shoe sewing that I learned from Old Song back then, I can still be considered decent. After tricking a wife back, I can't do any other delicate work."
Li Yishan's smile was faint. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the sky. He slowly said, "Back then, many people urged you to be the emperor. I was one of the few who did not agree. If back then, because you listened to my nonsense, so many soldiers were bitterly disappointed and decided to retire, and many people became enemies with you. Today, you can scold them back. "
Xu Xiao shook his head and said, "It is not a big matter. Also, I know that I do not have the fate of being the emperor. It has nothing to do with you."
Li Yishan coughed several times and said, "Zhang Julu is very formidable. In just a few years, he has stirred up a new structure and new atmosphere in the imperial court. Although he often violates taboos and provokes criticism, it is indeed a meritorious service to the country. Moreover, there is a wise ruler overseeing the dragon throne, so he has no worries about the future. Especially in the matter of raising the border, his achievements are remarkable, making people exclaim in admiration. Several times the war between the two countries ended in failure, but under his arrangement on the eastern border of the two dynasties, the declining trend was reversed. The collapse of the border defense was gradually mended, and a large number of young and strong generals who were good at fighting were selected to go to the border to resist the enemy. What was hard to come by was persuading Gu Jiantang to add two assistant ministers to the Ministry of War to fill the gap in the border defense. At the time, under the old Grand Secretary's hand, they were appointed to the military academy at the border. If they were not turbid, then they were not valued, but now they were in high demand. It was enough to show the foundation of Zhang Julu, the Empire's pasting master. He is a great general, but Zhang Julu is not perfect either. This purple-bearded, blue-eyed man is gentle in small matters, but in big matters he is conceited and oppressive. It can be said that if other colleagues disobey him, he will immediately be crushed. This is bound to be the root of a disaster. Presently, although the old aristocratic and powerful families no longer exist, the previous dynasty's meritorious and distinguished officials are taking turns to control the imperial court. Without a foundation, there are still two groups of scholars supporting them. And most of the leading figures of these two influential families have been forced to resign from their posts, expelled from the Cabinet, or bravely retreated at the top of the stream, using the excuse of returning to their hometown to recuperate from their illness. This is why the new Right Chancellor of the Imperial College scolded him for playing the flute, pinching eyes, beating drums and playing the pipa. It's just that he scolded fiercely, but in the end he still did not understand Zhang Julu's intention. This Grand Secretary who monopolizes the power of the state clearly wants to ruin his reputation after one person's death in exchange for eternal peace. "
Li Yishan suddenly became spirited and his snow-white face began to turn red. He continued, "The blue-eyed man wants to see the Xu family defeated in his lifetime. I, Li Yishan, am not good enough, but I am good enough to ruin some things. I have left sixteen strategies to deal with it. In addition, I have also written down the Six Treatises on the Governance of Beiliang, a total of thirty-four proposals. I have also finished writing them and left them for Fengnian. "
Bai Hu 'er stood behind the two old men and remained silent.
He knew that this withered state scholar was already beyond cure and did not have much time left.
Xu Xiao said softly, "Don't say anymore."
Li Yishan loosened his fist, revealing a pool of blood in his palm. He smiled and stopped coughing, but blood seeped out from the corner of his mouth. He closed his eyes in extreme exhaustion and said, "Mr. Nangong, Li Yishan has a favor to ask of you. In the future, if Fengnian is in trouble and the three hundred thousand cavalrymen are unable to rescue him, I implore Mr. Nangong to lend a hand."
Bai Hu 'er said in a low voice, "Don't worry, Mr. Nangong!"
"I can't see clearly."
Li Yishan, whose vision began to blur, raised his trembling arm and pointed in the air with his fingers. It was as if he had played a game of black and white chess with the young His Royal Highness in those years.
There seemed to be some regret on his weathered face. He had been too strict with this child, scolding him too much and praising him too little.
This man, who might have died of illness or old age, leaned his head heavily on the General sitting shoulder to shoulder and murmured, "Finally, I can have a good sleep."
He would sleep and never wake up again. Life and death were both important and insignificant.
Bai Hu 'er turned his head away and could not bear to watch.
Xu Xiao, the King of Beiliang, only gently helped him gather the fox fur coat that was about to slip off.
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