The weather in October was getting colder and colder.
It was actually quite easy for Li Shimin to hide in the north of Anrong Pass. After all, Li Shimin's hiding place was deep in the forest, not a place where the common people gathered. Therefore, Li Shimin and his party were never discovered. However, such good days only lasted for half a month.
Li Shimin and his party's whereabouts were still exposed.
Xia Xia's army suddenly arrived.
A battle ensued. Li Shimin and his men were caught off guard and lost a portion of their army. Fortunately, Li Shimin's location was deep in the mountains and forests. Even if they were discovered in such an area, Li Shimin still led his army to break out of the encirclement and escape, finally escaping Du Qi's pursuit.
However, after this incident, Li Shimin lost more than two thousand soldiers, which made Li Shimin's heart ache for a long time. For the current Li Shimin, two thousand soldiers were very important.
After Li Shimin escaped, he was blocked one after another.
They were blocked by the common people.
They were blocked by Xia Xia's army.
The whereabouts of the army could not be kept a secret. Even if Li Shimin's army entered the forest, it would not be long before they were discovered and Li Shimin had to retreat again.
In the blink of an eye, it was already November. The weather was getting colder. Fortunately, this attack was in Longzhou and not the Western Region. If it were the Western Region, the weather would be even colder, which would be even more disadvantageous for Li Shimin and his party. Therefore, the current situation was not particularly difficult. At least they could still hold on.
While Li Shimin was holding on, a carriage slowly drove in outside Xia Xia's capital city.
This carriage went straight into the city.
The person in the carriage was none other than Fang Xuanling. He came with Li Shimin's mission to meet Du Ruhui in person and ask Du Ruhui to persuade Du Qi to make peace with Du Qi.
Fang Xuanling entered the city and was received by the Tang dynasty's spies. However, Fang Xuanling didn't stop to rest. Instead, she asked someone to drive her to Du Ruhui's residence. The carriage drove for a while and finally stopped outside Du Ruhui's mansion. Fang Xuanling walked out of the carriage, shook his robe, and looked up at the quaint mansion. He was a little surprised.
Du Qi was the emperor.
As the Emperor's father, Du Ruhui's status was incomparably noble. However, Du Ruhui's residence was simple and unadorned. It was not luxurious, nor was it grand. Furthermore, Du Ruhui did not live in the Imperial Palace. This was rather surprising.
However, this also made things easier for Fang Xuanling.
He could see Du Ruhui directly.
Fang Xuanling looked up at the sun in the sky, a look of surprise on her face. It was already November in Chang 'an. If the weather turned cold early, it would have started snowing. Even though it was late, the cold wind was still bone-chilling. However, the weather in Sovereign Capital City was rather warm, just like April in Chang 'an.
"Good place, good place!"
Fang Xuanling muttered to herself.
After that, he withdrew his gaze and looked at the entrance of Du Ruhui's estate. Fang Xuanling personally stepped forward. His back was slightly stooped, but his spirit was extremely good. Moreover, Fang Xuanling himself was in a high position, so his words and actions were methodical. Therefore, when he went up personally, the gatekeeper at the door immediately perked up and did not dare to underestimate him.
Fang Xuanling said lightly, "Please inform him that an old friend, Fang Qiao, wishes to see him."
The gatekeeper frowned.
The notice was too simple. It was just an old friend.
However, it was precisely because of that that the gatekeeper did not dare to underestimate him because those who came to visit Du Ruhui were usually high-ranking officials and nobles. No one dared to say that it was an old friend. After all, an old friend of the Retired Emperor was not an ordinary person. Therefore, the gatekeeper immediately went in to inform him.
The gatekeeper went straight to the study. After seeing Du Ruhui, he told him the truth.
Du Ruhui immediately stood up when he heard that. He was stunned because Fang Xuanling was the Prime Minister of the Tang dynasty. He was busy with government affairs and would not have time to come to the Imperial Capital City. Du Ruhui was worried that he would meet someone with the same name, so he asked again, "Did you see clearly what the person looked like? How old is he?"
The gatekeeper reported, "Your Majesty, the person who came was about sixty years old, about the same age as you. Although his clothes were simple, it was obvious that he was not an ordinary person. He was someone of high status. Your Majesty, would you like to see him? "
"Please!"
Du Ruhui immediately ordered.
The gatekeeper turned around and walked out. However, when he reached the door, he heard Du Ruhui say, "Wait!"
The gatekeeper stopped and turned around.
Du Ruhui had already walked out. As he walked, he said, "I'll go by myself."
The gatekeeper followed beside Du Ruhui and was shocked. One had to know that the gatekeeper had been in the residence for many years. Ever since Du Ruhui came to the Imperial Capital City, he had been the gatekeeper. Although many people had come to visit Du Ruhui all this time, Du Ruhui had never personally come to welcome them. But now, Du Ruhui actually came out to welcome them in person. It was surprising. The gatekeeper was even more glad that he had the foresight to not offend anyone. If he had offended the old man, the consequences would have been bad.
Not long after, Du Ruhui came to the door.
When Du Ruhui saw Fang Xuanling standing at the door, he stood still for a moment.
The two of them stared at each other for a long time.
Du Ruhui and Fang Xuanling used to follow Li Shimin and could be called Li Shimin's right-hand men. Moreover, the two of them were close friends. After many years, when they met again, they were already old and half of their bones were about to enter the ground.
Fang Xuanling was the first to speak. "Greetings, Your Majesty."
Du Ruhui took a step forward and took Fang Xuanling's hand. He said, "Brother Fang, there's no need to be so formal between us. Come, let's have a chat. "
A smile appeared on Fang Xuanling's face.
The way he addressed Du Ruhui just now was actually intentional. He wanted to test Du Ruhui and see his attitude. Now that he heard Du Ruhui's words, Fang Xuanling was relieved. This was the opportunity to persuade Du Ruhui to take action.
The two of them entered the study and sat opposite each other.
Du Ruhui poured a cup of tea for Fang Xuanling and said, "Brother Fang, how have you been all these years?"
Fang Xuanling said, "I haven't made any contributions to the country or the family, but I've barely been able to get by."
Du Ruhui glanced at Fang Xuanling and sighed. "Brother Fang used to be so elegant and outstanding. But now, you've aged a lot. You must have been very worried these years. "
Fang Xuanling sighed. "It can't be helped. Since you left Chang 'an, the government has been running normally, but it's not as easy as before. Everything is different with you around. "
Du Ruhui said, "It can't be helped. If I didn't leave Chang 'an, it would be more troublesome."
After a pause, Du Ruhui looked at Fang Xuanling and said again, "Brother Fang, you and I know each other very well. Besides, we've been working together for many years. We know each other's feelings. Now that you've come to the imperial capital, there must be something important. Just tell me what it is. As long as I can help, I'll do my best. Of course, if I can't help, then there's nothing I can do. "
As the saying goes, one never visits a temple without a cause. Fang Xuanling must have come all the way to the imperial capital for something. It was impossible that he wanted to leave the Tang dynasty to seek refuge with Xia Xia. Du Ruhui could avoid Fang Xuanling, but there was no need for that. After all, his relationship with Fang Xuanling was not ordinary. If there was something he wanted to say, he could just say it.
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