Li Dongyang dragged the sick body and insisted on accompanying the emperor through the entire sacrificial process, and after coming down for two days, he still couldn't calm down.

The weather of Emperor Zhengde was already unimaginable to him.

Since ancient times, which generation of emperors themselves would say that the prince will have a kind of sentence?

The doctor who treated him went out and said to people: Li Zhongcheng's illness has gone a little, his pulse has warmed up, and there is a possibility of recovery.

The family rejoiced.

Li Dongyang's stepson Li Zhaofan was quite happy.

Because Li Dongyang has no son, he treats his stepson very well, and the relationship between father and son has always been very good.

He was a little scared, this time he followed the emperor to Xiaoling for a toss will aggravate his condition, but he didn't expect it to be better.

"What did the doctor say?" Li Dongyang asked as he entered.

"The doctor said that my father may be cured!"

Li Dongyang sighed softly, and then stretched out his hand, "Help your father sit up." ”

Li Zhaofan hurriedly stepped forward and helped him to lie half-lying, "Does Father feel better himself?" ”

"The head is a little lighter. Do you have any orders from Your Majesty's side? ”

"There is no will, don't worry, father." Li Zhaofan guessed, "Father must be because of the presence of the Holy Lord, this is the real prescription." ”

"Ahem." Li Dongyang clenched his fists and coughed lightly, his eyes were slightly hollow and looked directly at the palm in front of him, "It's old." But...... I don't want to get old. Today...... Seeing His Majesty, he was in the prime of his youth, full of energy, and enviable. ”

"Father will definitely be able to see and see His Majesty's Quartet martial arts."

While the father and son were chatting, someone outside spread the word, and the saint drove to the door.

Li Dongyang was suddenly a little excited, he hurriedly grabbed his son's hand and was about to get out of bed, but he was too slow, and Zhu Houzhao had already crossed the threshold and walked in.

"Just lie down, lie down and don't move!"

"Ah, Your Majesty! Old minister, old minister to Your Majesty ......"

Zhu Houzhao took two quick steps and directly pressed his shoulder, "I know your intentions." The body is tight, lie down. ”

Li Zhaofan on the side could see the emperor's side face up close.

Very young indeed, with smooth skin without a trace of wrinkles...... While admiring it, he suddenly felt that this was an extremely rude behavior, so he immediately knelt down: "Minister Li Zhaofan to see Your Majesty!" ”

Zhu Houzhao saw this person for the first time, "If I guessed correctly, this is your son, right?" ”

Li Dongyang lay down slowly, his voice was a little hoarse, "As Your Majesty said, the dog's name is Zhaofan, the word Dongbo, and he is the successor of the clan brothers, and he has been filial piety over the years." And, by the grace of His Majesty, there is a lack of shade in Taichang Temple, Dongbo, thank you quickly. ”

"Yes. Minister Nanjing Taichang Temple Shaoqing Li Zhaofan, thank the emperor for his grace! ”

"Flat. Have you finished feeding your medicine? ”

Li Zhaofan didn't dare to raise his head, "Go back to the emperor, I'm done." ”

"Then you step back first, although I and your father are kings and ministers, they are also friends who have known each other for many years, let me talk to him. When you are outside, do not let anyone in unless I call you. ”

"Yes!"

Li Zhaofan bowed his head and stepped back, and finally closed the door.

Because he is a stepson, and Li Dongyang's discipline is relatively strict, he is a different person, but he is indeed an adult.

Li Dongyang has a very high status, and it is also a good thing for him to have the emperor summoned him alone.

Inside the house.

Zhu Houzhao said: "I look at your son, his face is peaceful, and he should have a good heart. ”

"It's a pity that talent is limited, and it is not enough to make meritorious contributions to Your Majesty."

"Don't say that, stepsons are also sons, in front of me, you should say something good to people."

Li Dongyang listened to the emperor's kind jokes, and felt warm in his heart, "Your Majesty is tired of government affairs, and he sleeps at night, which is already quite hard, so why waste time for the sake of the old minister's humble body, the old minister is terrified." ”

Zhu Houzhao smiled, "I heard that you are sick, and I have forced the people in Huai'an Mansion to choke enough, just to meet you and say a few words." You've been my chief, not just a petty official. And when I was still the crown prince, I became acquainted with you. Although we have quarreled and been angry for more than ten years, I always believe in you, you are the auxiliary minister left by the emperor to me, and I sincerely hope that you can get better. ”

Li Dongyang was in a complicated mood, he never thought that one day the Son of Heaven would come to his hospital bed.

"Old minister, old minister has 10,000 willingness, willingness to obey His Majesty's will. But birth, old age, sickness and death, this is the way of heaven, please forgive your majesty for the inability of the old minister. ”

Probably because he felt that his limit was approaching, there was a sad cry in Li Dongyang's words.

Hearing this, Zhu Houzhao also sighed, "Anyway, I just want to come to see you today." The door is closed, and it's not in Beijing, so let's talk about what we think from our hearts. It's been almost ten years since I sent the three of you out of Beijing. The reason for this is not that I feel that you are not worthy of the responsibilities of the ministers, but that I want to implement many new policies, and sometimes I have to do them as a last resort, so you should understand me, right? ”

What a character Li Dongyang is, he understood it at once, and in the final analysis, it is a sentence: once a son of heaven and a courtier.

It is necessary to knock down these old people and give up their positions, so that the newcomers can have a head start, and at the same time do things for the emperor firmly.

Because he understands it, he understands it, Li Dongyang has no complaints, he said sincerely: "The emperor doesn't have to explain, the ministers understand." Moreover, His Majesty can treat the three of us like this, this is already the most generous monarch in all dynasties. With the word Taoist governance, the emperor did what he said. ”

"It's rare that you can still understand it. In the past few years, I have seen that Shandong, Nanzhili, Huguang and other places are politically harmonious and harmonious, and the people live and work in peace and contentment. It can be said that the three of you have not only lived up to my expectations, but also the expectations of the previous emperor. ”

Li Dongyang said modestly: "All this is the work of Your Majesty, the achievements of the past ten years have long made the ministers happy and convinced, but the ministers are old, and they often feel worried, worried that they will not be able to see the prosperous times that Your Majesty will create in the future." Your Majesty, the old minister has a few heartfelt words, and I don't know whether to say them or not. ”

"Just say it."

"Last month, His Majesty used troops in the northwest, and the old minister thought that with the national strength of the Ming Dynasty, the bravery of Jing Lubo, the country of the northwest border, it can be lowered overnight, even the northern captives are not afraid, and there is no shortage of good generals under the account of Jing Lubo, Your Majesty can pick one or two people, with a number of guards and strong, then the northern captives will definitely be far away. And the trouble of the Ming Dynasty today is not on land, but on the sea.

First, in the ten years since the opening of the sea, commerce and trade in the south of the Yangtze River have flourished, and there have been frequent exchanges with overseas countries. Second, the ministers lived in Yingtian for ten years, and according to the observation of the ministers, the country of maritime trade and commerce was more expansive than the northern nomads, and its heart was darker. ”

"Why?" Zhu Houzhao asked with interest.

Li Dongyang said: "The grassland people do not live in the Central Plains and are poor in materials, so they often loot, but they do not last, and most of the harm stops at the border. But business is different, the first is continuous, a year may be lost, followed by greed is endless, this time to account for your ten taels, not only will not be grateful for kindness, but feel that you are weak and deceitful, next time I want to take advantage of your hundred taels! Third, it is that countries are striving for profit with all their might, and they are never satisfied with the profits they already have, but always want to annex the profits of other countries! ”

Zhu Houzhao was touched, "Listening to your words, you know that you are also attentive in Yingtian." So you should understand why I have such a difference between Han and Yi, right? ”

Li Dongyang exclaimed, "It turns out that Your Majesty has been prepared for a long time. ”

"My preparation is one thing, you can say it is another, I am always relieved to hear it, in this world of great controversy, all ethnic groups are to unite compatriots, resist foreign races as the core, one day, future generations may feel that this mausoleum in the tenth year of Zhengde is my greatest achievement."

Li Dongyang didn't know how to imagine the 'kind of afterlife' in the emperor's mouth, but from a longer-term perspective, it seems that there is indeed a special meaning.

"Your Majesty, the old minister really thinks that the Ming Dynasty can have His Majesty is a gift from God and a blessing for all the people in the Central Plains."

Indeed, without the advanced vision of later generations, these ancestors have not been able to find their way in the dark night.