Li Hong believed that there were many officials in the Tang Dynasty who looked at the county magistrate two days ago. In their subconscious, the imperial court and their recommended officials always needed wealthy and aristocratic families as a communication link. channels exist.
The imperial court is the imperial court, and their benefactor is their benefactor, and there will never be any affiliation between them and the imperial court. Rather than saying that after they enter the official career, they serve the country and benefit the people of the world, it is better to say, They are also a bargaining chip between the wealthy family and the imperial court, and they are the weapons that make the imperial court look at them differently.
Therefore, if the imperial court wants to put aside Wu Xing Qi Wang and have wealthy families directly talk to these recommended officials, it must touch the interests of Wu Xing Qi Wang and others, elevating the status of Wu Xing Qi Wang in the hearts of the world's scholar-bureaucrats, so that the court can follow them. They bypassed the five surnames and Qiwang and communicated directly. It was obvious that the imperial court was challenging the fundamental interests of the aristocratic family.
This is a long-term project and is not something that can be achieved easily overnight.
Along the way, the short distance between Chang'an and Luoyang actually took Li Zhi and Wu Mei nearly two months to reach the station in Luoyang city from Chang'an.
Along the way, except for the encounter that delayed the journey for four days due to an encounter with the tiger cub and its mother, Li Zhi would basically order to stop and camp within half a day of the journey. Come on, this trip, in the eyes of Wu Mei and Li Hong, is more like a farewell to life.
As for who to say goodbye to, among all the people, only Li Hong and Wu Mei could very keenly feel the attachment to the mountains and rivers that came from Li Zhi's heart, as well as the feeling and pride for the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty.
Climbing to the top of the loess highland, looking at the Yellow River like a jade belt, the farmers in the sky and the earth inside the telescope, or the business travelers and people coming and going on the pipeline in the distance, all the scenes made Li Zhi stand on the high place from time to time. , unwilling to leave for a long time.
Even though the camp's guard of honor was set up on a high hill, Li Zhi could still gaze alone at the distance of the dark night and the stars in the sky above his head.
No one knows why this is, or maybe someone can know that Li Zhi is saying his final farewell to the mountains and rivers. In short, Li Zhi, who often stands alone in the wind with fluttering clothes, looks into the distance. The back figure and the frail body that seemed to be about to become feathered in the wind all gave people an inexplicable feeling of sadness.
"Perhaps your father has already felt it in his heart. He looks at his own country, has the people of the world in his heart, and is concerned about the common people. I hope that if that day comes, he will have no regrets in his heart." Wu Mei stroked her temples. With his hair blown by the wind, he looked at Li Zhi on the high ground and said lightly.
"Life is so fast that one life cannot last for hundreds of years. In the end, it is nothing more than a piece of loess, which turns into the blue smoke of bliss in a few inches. The misty things after death, repeating the fate of the previous life. The three lives and three lives are pious and broken, and the six reincarnations are unknown. The nine layers of feathers soar to the sky. The vulgar world will never leap between the sky and the earth. Life is sometimes as heavy as a mountain, but in the midst of ups and downs, the world is full of beauty, and my heart is filled with great pride, but I still can't escape the secular world. Limits. As long as the father does not feel any regrets in this life, it will be enough." Li Hong took a long breath, looked at the old man who was still looking alone on the top of the mountain, and kicked the loess at his feet casually.
"I thought you could write poems, but I don't know what you meant by these words. It sounds more like an old man who is more sensitive to time and years. I feel... Even if Sun Simiao is still alive, I'm afraid... I can't say such a profound thing about life." Wu Mei stretched out her arm and asked Li Hong to support her, and the mother and son slowly walked in the direction of Li Zhi.
"How can we see enough of the beautiful scenery of mountains, rivers and land in a lifetime? Especially... This is still the country of our Li family. If I want to see enough of this country, the country, all kinds of things in the world, or the misfortunes and blessings of the people, for my father who cares about the world, For the emperor, there is too little time now. If... maybe there is an afterlife, I hope that my father will not be entangled in mundane affairs such as court affairs and be able to see the grace of the Tang Dynasty in a down-to-earth manner. "Fuye. Wu Mei, who had begun to become a little shaky and whose legs and feet were no longer as flexible as before, Li Hong said with rare seriousness.
"So, you know what is the thing that your father cannot let go of the most? The country is like this, the royal family is like this, your father's favorite thing over the years is..."
"My son, I need time. If the Five Surnames and Seven Hopes are not completely defeated, they are like centipede insects. Sooner or later they will bite back." Li Hong helped Wu Mei climb the steps and looked ahead.
Wu Mei sighed helplessly. Over the years, Li Zhi's thoughts have not occupied even 10% of the court. The rest is the longing and reluctance to leave Lao Liu. But now the current emperor of the Tang Dynasty is Li Hong, even if If Li Zhi wants to pardon Li Xian, it must be decided by Li Hong, the emperor, and even the people of the world.
After all, Li Xian was the one who competed with Li Hong for the throne and was deposed. Now that the Holy Emperor pardons him, not only does Li Hong, an emperor who sticks to his word, need a reasonable excuse, but also needs a reasonable excuse even if it is revealed to the world. Just an excuse.
"How much more time will it take? Can you also control your father's time?"
"Of course not, so I am hesitating. I want my father to have no regrets. I will never be able to treat Lao Liu again..."
"What was right and wrong in the past, now in the eyes of your father, or in the eyes of your mother, are just passing smoke. What's more, it does not affect your path. If you eat a lot, you will not die. Jiling City We can't be alone, but your father and I fully agree to put the debt of the son of Belus on Li Xian's head..."
"Does this give Li Xian a reason to withdraw from Jiling City and let someone else take over Jiling City? If so, how will Li Xian's achievements in Anxi be calculated? But is it enough to restore his identity? Or will some people regard Li Xian as a A gimmick, so that Li Xian can become the right-hand man of Erchen like Li Zhe and Li Dan?" Li Hong and Wu Mei stood not far behind Li Zhi, and then continued to say firmly: "Pardon is okay, but... it needs to be I have served my father as a mourner for three years, and I can’t go anywhere!”
"What about three years from now?"
"What else can I do while my mother is here?" Li Hong did not move forward, but watched Wu Mei walk straight to Li Zhi.
Just like the last private conversation between Li Hong and Li Zhi, when it was time to make a decision, Li Hong and them would stop further discussions and put the problems that should be solved in a subtle way again. Or perhaps, it was because of Li Hong's filial piety and appearance that he only wanted to stop there.
"Time flies so fast. We arrived in Luoyang in the blink of an eye. I never thought that the city of Luoyang would be so beautiful when viewed from the outside. Looking at the bustling crowds and the curling green smoke from the farmhouses, people really want to be like this. Keep looking until you can't look any further." Li Zhi turned around and walked to Li Hong with Wu Mei's support.
"Find a painter to draw it for you and hang it in your palace in Luoyang, so that you can see it every day. But having said that, looking at it from a distance is just a city-state. Only by integrating into it can you be like the Yellow River. To truly appreciate the prosperity and peace of the Tang Dynasty, my father and son thought that to experience the unique beauty of the country, it would be better to enter it. "
"Viewed horizontally, there are ridges and peaks, with different heights and distances. I don't know the true face of Mount Lu, just because I am in this mountain. This is a poem you wrote when your mother and I visited Mount Lu. According to the meaning of your poem "You should jump out and see, right?" Li Zhi started to walk down with Wu Mei, but someone who was the emperor and the dutiful son was placed in the middle, with Wu Mei on the left and Li Zhi on the right. Holding Li Hong's arms respectively, the three of them walked slowly down.
"Mountains need to be seen from a distance, rivers need to be overlooked, people need to be close friends, and things need to be heard close up. So to see mountains and water, you can stay outside, but to see people and nature, you need to go deep into the bustling world." Li Hong shrugged helplessly and made excuses for the poems he had written in the past two years.
"I don't want to hear those bad things about you. During this trip to Luoyang, I have fully realized that even though the country is magnificent and the people are healthy, it cannot offset the shortcomings in my heart."
"Give me a moment, Erchen... Erchen has already passed the message." Li Hong felt the strength from Li Zhi's arm on the right, which was obviously not as relaxed as the mother on the left. It can even be said that Li Zhi at this moment , and even put half of his weight on Li Hong's arms to be able to walk down these steps freely.
This made Li Hong feel sour in his heart. He felt that the only regret or expectation in the heart of an old man who had entered his final years was that he could not really let Li Zhi go away with regrets in his life.
"Okay, my father will be satisfied with your words. He will not ask even one more question about Luoyang's affairs." Li Zhi looked at Li Hong, who was supporting him and Wu Mei, and his tone became a little bit Said easily.
Such conversations along the way were already familiar to Li Zhe, Li Dan, Shangguan Wan'er, Wen Wen and the two princesses at the foot of the mountain. Although among them, none of them were keenly aware of the conversation between Li Hong and Li Hong. Why should Zhi and Wu Mei be like this? But they have become completely accustomed to the three of them leaving them alone from time to time and walking alone talking to each other.
Looking nostalgically at the scenery behind him again, Li Zhi finally decided to set off for Luoyang. The speed of the horse-drawn train was still as usual, with tall and powerful horses pulling the car in front, and on both sides were the Central Army and the royal emperor. Guarded by ceremonial guards, the nine carriages slowly crossed the moat just like when they set off from Chang'an, and then slowly drove into the so-called station in Luoyang under the respectful welcome of Luoyang City's military guards and hundreds of officials.
"I've disappeared from Luoyang Prefecture Yin and others. I'm tired, so I went back to the palace directly. You can send them away." Li Zhi looked at the officials outside the car window and the huge honor guard. For some reason, he passed by. After this nearly two-month journey, I became more and more disgusted with things like officialdom, and I became more and more fond of staying alone alone and letting my thoughts fly aimlessly.
(End of chapter)