Pingkangfang, the Li family's mansion.

The early summer sunset shrouds this smoky courtyard, and the pavilions and pavilions are all hidden in the dusk light, and the noble atmosphere can be seen at a glance.

In Jinlin Hall, the atmosphere is quite dignified.

Li Daoyan looked at the ginseng tea in the bowl in his hand, took a small sip, and handed the bowl to his young grandson Li Gongxu, who was standing beside him.

There were no servants in the hall, except for the two grandchildren, only Li Shizhi, the servant of the Criminal Department, sat down.

"You should know everything that is being discussed in the court meeting today."

In the cold silence, Li Daoyan spoke slowly, his tone slightly tired.

Today's court meeting is of a relatively high standard, although Li Shizhi is the eldest son of Li Daoyan and has the official body of a squire of the Criminal Department, he is still not qualified to enter the Wende Palace. It stands to reason that Li Shizhi would not know the content of the court meeting so quickly, but Li Daoyan's tone was very firm, and he obviously knew the eldest son's skills and abilities very well.

Li Shizhi did not deny it, and said softly after a while: "Father, Your Majesty is a little anxious. ”

For the past 14 years, the relationship between the Son of Heaven and the Central Committee has been in a delicate balance.

The Son of Heaven has vigorously supported the border army in these years, but basically has not interfered in the appointment and dismissal of generals in the north and south of the Beijing army, which is a tacit understanding between him and the Jiangnan clan.

For example, today's son first adopted Lu Shen's suggestion, let the middle and lower-level generals of the Beijing army and the border army be replaced, and then directly adjusted the power structure of the north and south ya, and forcibly divided one-third of the military power of the southern yaya to Lu Shen.

Although Guo Congyi, Wang Yan and others were forced to bow their heads because of the appearance of Han Lingfu, the Duke of Jingguo, this does not mean that they will be safe and sound in the future.

Whether Lu Shen can gain a firm foothold in Nanya is secondary, the key is that from the beginning of the Northern Expedition a year ago to today's intervention in the military power of Nanya, the Jiangnan clan has almost been retreating.

There are various complex reasons entangled in this, but one of them is extremely important and cannot be ignored, that is, Li Daoyan, as the leader of the Jiangnan clan in the court, did not strongly oppose the decision of the Son of Heaven, but repeatedly chose to back down.

And not just today.

Beneath the surface of calm and tranquility, some emotions are brewing.

Last year, the great victory of Heluo was transmitted back to the capital, Xiao Wangzhi was crowned the prince of the country, Lu Shen was made the prince, Li Daoyan publicly expressed his appreciation for the two and the border army in the court, and forcibly suppressed a potential court dispute.

At that time, many people couldn't wait to come to the prime minister's mansion after the court meeting, indicating that they did not have any resentment against Li Daoyan's statement, but only had some faint worries, wanting to find out what the old minister really thought.

However, after today's court meeting, the adults, including Ning Yuanfu, the secretary of the Ministry of Officials, and the Shangshu Ding Hui of the Ministry of War, did not immediately rush to the Li Mansion to seek advice.

Maybe they also know that Li Daoyan's statement today is forced to be helpless, after all, Han Lingfu, the Duke of Jingguo, is the only remaining older generation in the army, and once the incense he has accumulated for most of his life is put out, Guo Congyi and the others must bow their heads once.

Not to mention that Li Daoyan and Han Lingfu also have a deep friendship, the other party made it clear that he wanted to support the Son of Heaven once before he died, what could Li Daoyan do?

But there is also a possibility, because in the past two years, Li Daoyan has repeatedly chosen to cede power to the Son of Heaven, resulting in the representatives of the major forces of the Jiangnan clan no longer absolutely trusting this old minister, at least they will not obey his orders as before.

In Jinlin Hall at this moment, when Li Shizhi finished saying that, the father and son couldn't help but fall into a long silence again.

Twelve-year-old Li Gongxu stood beside him obediently, although he was not very able to keep up with the thoughts of these two close elders, but he also understood the reason why his grandfather asked him to stay and serve, and only listened carefully with a pair of ears.

Li Daoyan turned his head to look at his young grandson, did not directly respond to Li Shizhi's complaint to the Son of Heaven, and said slowly: "On the first day of the Moyuan Literary Conference, you and I both listened to Lang Sanyuan's nonsense. At that time, after you left, I told Zhiyu'er that Lu Shen's praise for me was sincere, which made me feel very gratified, which is enough to show that he is a really smart person. ”

Li Shizhi was silent.

Li Daoyan added: "He knows the difficulties of the Son of Heaven, and he also understands the difficulties of me and the Jiangnan family. At that time, I also told Zhiyuer that compared with Lu Shen, some people are self-inflicted, no matter how they crochet and plan, they will definitely end up with a bamboo basket. ”

With Li Shizhi's scheming city, he naturally understood that this was the old father beating him.

"But when I said this, I was not alluding to you, but Li Zongjian, the king of the building who had a deep connection with you in private."

Li Daoyan's words surprised Li Shizhi a little, and then he listened to his father continue: "Build a king...... It doesn't look like a human king. ”

In fact, this sentence is slightly inappropriate.

Of course, Li Daoyan's identity and qualifications can be presumptuous, but it is not appropriate for the Jinlin Li family to show obvious inclination towards the selection of the prince, at least before the Son of Heaven decides to establish the prince, they need to stand neutral in public.

Li Shizhi knew very well that his father's words were telling him that if the Li family chose to support King Jian, there would be endless troubles.

He took a sip of the teacup, and said unhurriedly: "Father, the third prince can understand the difficulties of our Jiangnan clan. ”

Li Daoyan said with a straight face: "It's not important. ”

Li Shizhi put down the teacup, looked directly into his father's eyes in an extremely rare way, and retorted: "No, this is very important. ”

Li Daoyan's old eyes narrowed slightly, and a solemn expression appeared on his old face.

Li Gongxu, who was standing next to him, became nervous for no reason.

After a long time, Li Daoyan exhaled lightly and said, "My father originally thought that Lang Sanyuan was the one who built the king, but later I figured out that he should be the secret hand you used to throw stones and ask for directions." ”

Li Shizhi nodded calmly and said, "Father sees it clearly." ”

Li Daoyan slowed down and said: "The reason why my father has this illusion is because at that time, except for Lang Sanyuan, there were no other people with ill intentions at the Wenhui, and it stands to reason that King Jian will not miss this opportunity to block the second prince." Later, his father learned that King Jian was left in the harem by Queen Xu that day, and he realized that the queen mother noticed King Jian's mind and did not allow him to come willfully. ”

"Actually, my son was a little strange at the time, King Jian was able to hold back and not move, and later I learned that it was the queen's mother who made the move."

Li Shizhi took his father's words and said with a smile: "They are all smart people." ”

"It's just clever."

Li Daoyan shook his head, looked at the indifferent face of his eldest son, and said: "Now it seems that His Majesty is interested in the second prince, so he asked Lu Shen to participate in the Moyuan Literary Meeting, and use this obscure way to show his heart to the hundred officials and the clan." Because of some things back then, Queen Xu always favored the three princes. On the surface, the second and third princes each have a little advantage, but the eldest prince is the eldest son of the rightful emperor. ”

Li Shizhi understood why his father was worried, and he explained warmly: "Your Majesty is sage, and the reason for delaying the prince is to avoid turmoil in the court. With His Majesty's dictatorship, no matter that prince lives in the East Palace, it will not cause too much turmoil. In the son's opinion, the father really doesn't have to worry about this matter. ”

A deep disappointment flashed in Li Daoyan's eyes, and he said slowly: "Jing Kingdom in the north has annexed Zhao State, and the southern invasion is a foregone conclusion, do you understand?" ”

Li Shizhi was silent for a moment, and said softly: "My son understands, so he has always been in favor of his father's appropriate concession to the border army, so as to ensure the combat strength of the border army. Although Jingguo is powerful, the war in the past two years has shown that they are not invincible, and Hengjiang will still be a moat in front of them. Take 10,000 steps back and say that even if Dingzhou can't be saved, Jing and Huai can still keep Jingjun out. ”

Li Daoyan's mood at the moment is very complicated.

Today's conversation is not only an exchange between father and son, but also more likely to be related to the future fate of the Jinlin Li family, the Jiangnan Jiu family, and even the entire Great Qi court.

He has always regarded Li Shizhi as the heir, the next generation of Jinlin Li's family head training, and the other party did not disappoint him, for nearly 20 years, he has been working steadily for nearly 20 years, relying on his first-hand splendid articles and solid general affairs ability.

But now he suddenly found that he seemed to be unable to understand the mind of this eldest son.

"Your perception is the most idealistic state, but you have to understand that the world is impermanent, and many times things happen that you don't expect."

The so-called knowing son Mo Ruo's father, Li Daoyan knew very well how resolute Li Shizhi's mind was, so he did not put on the posture of a strict father, and patiently explained uncharacteristically: "The strength of the border army's combat strength is not a constant existence, once Xiao Wangzhi and Li Tianrun are hindered, there is almost no one to replace them in the future." Although Lu Shen has a strong trend, how can he take care of the three places by himself? When it really came to the time when the Jing army invaded the territory on a large scale, there was still chaos within the country, or there was a worry that the world would be overturned. ”

Li Shizhi looked at the worry between his father's eyebrows and eyes, and couldn't help but sigh softly.

With Li Daoyan's decades of experience in the ups and downs of the sea, he can naturally feel that under the seemingly calm water surface of Yongjia City, there are countless undercurrents that are about to move.

There is not only the struggle for power between the border army, the Beijing army and the central power, but also the increasingly obvious struggle for the throne of several princes, as well as the open and secret struggle between the military upstarts represented by Lu Shen and those veteran martial artists.

If it weren't for Han Lingfu dragging his body into the palace today, and using his own name as the Son of Heaven to suppress the formation, I am afraid that the first clear and fierce court battle would break out.

But what about next time? Where did the Son of Heaven go to find the second Han Ling Rune?

After all, it will come to the day when the saber rattling will come to the day.

After a long time, Li Shizhi lowered his eyes and said slowly: "Father, is the Northern Expedition really that important?" ”

Li Daoyan's white eyebrows moved slightly, and he did not answer this question directly.

Li Shizhi didn't think about it, and continued: "Actually, my son has been thinking about this question, what is the meaning of the Northern Expedition? For Your Majesty, cleaning up the old mountains and rivers is a banner that must be adhered to, and for the soldiers of the border army, the Northern Expedition is a means for them to gain military achievements step by step, but for the people of the North, do they really want our army to return to the North? ”

"Appropriate—"

Li Daoyan's face gradually became grim.

Li Shizhi said sincerely: "Father, please let your son finish." ”

"There must be people in this world who have no distractions, or to serve the country for loyalty, or to hang the people for crimes, or to expel barbarians, and I have never doubted the existence of such people, and I have respect for such people."

"However, I must say that like our Jinlin Li family, Changle Ning family, Ningtan Ding family, Boyue Chen family, De'an Guo family, Yongxin Wang family, Xingshan Lejia and so on, the roots of our family are all in Jiangnan. Regardless of whether the Great Qi army can completely defeat the Jing army, even if the Great Qi wins, what good will it do to us? ”

"Father can not think about this, I can also ignore this problem, can other people be impartial? Are you willing to dedicate all your family assets to the imperial court? Jinlin Li's status today is first inseparable from his father's hard work, and secondly, because of the support of so many Jiangnan clans. ”

Speaking of this, Li Shizhi exhaled a breath of turbidity, shook his head and said: "They can support the Jinlin Li family and hold our Li family to this position, so naturally they can also pull the Li family down with their backhand." ”

Li Daoyan's eyes closed slightly, and after a while, he said, "There is more than one road in this world. ”

"What my father said is very true."

Li Shizhi's tone was low, and he muttered: "But Your Majesty has chosen the most radical path. Father, son has always understood your plight, and has no objection to His Majesty's support for the border army. Last year's Northern Expedition was very expensive, if it weren't for me secretly helping to turn around in the name of my father, Xue Nanting really thought that his position as the right minister would be able to suppress the civil and military of the Manchu Dynasty quietly, and supply so much grain, grass, ordnance and silver to the border army? ”

Li Daoyan's expression at the moment was very complicated.

Of course, he knew that the eldest son was not lying, and this was his entrustment to Li Shizhi.

Li Shizhi: "Your Majesty wants the Northern Expedition, wants to strengthen the border army, wants to let Xiao Wangzhi's henchman Chen Lanyu intervene in the Beijing army, and there are various arrangements in the past two years, all of us have chosen to retreat." This is because we know that His Majesty is the Son of Heaven of Great Qi, and the border army is the barrier of the frontier, and supporting them is also supporting ourselves. We're not stupid, we know what to prioritize. ”

"However, Your Majesty is too anxious."

Li Shizhi ended with the first sentence.

Li Daoyan understood his thoughts, and also realized that the decision of the Son of Heaven had touched the bottom line of the Jiangnan clan, and this silent opposition was even more dangerous.

But...... What could he do?

This is forced by the times, and it cannot be changed by one person or one person.

What's more, Li Shizhi is the heir he has cultivated for more than 20 years, and he and the Jinlin Li family are one, even if Li Shizhi's ideas are not in line with his heart, he can't even kill his relatives in righteousness, unless he is willing to watch the Jinlin Li family be destroyed.

As soon as he thought of this, the old man turned his head to look at the young grandson who was standing next to him, and said slowly: "No matter what, the Jinlin Li clan cannot be an enemy of His Majesty. If those people feel that they are not worthy of this position, let them choose another one. ”

Li Shizhi looked at the ground steadily, and after being silent for a long time, he got up and saluted: "Obey my father's orders." ”

After he left, Li Daoyan beckoned to Li Gongxu, then raised his palm like a withered branch and patted it lightly on the back of his hand, and said with a smile: "Young fish, did you understand what your uncle said?" ”

The young man looked at the old man's kind smile, and for some reason he was sad for a while, and said in a trembling voice: "Grandfather......"

"It doesn't matter."

Li Daoyan interrupted the young man's words with a smile, turned his head to look at the corner of the world outside the hall, and said quietly: "They think that Your Majesty is too anxious, but they haven't thought about a problem, Your Majesty is the Ninety-Five Emperor after all, and he is not a puppet in their hands." ”

"What mighty king, from ancient times to the present day, could tolerate sleeping next to a sword held by someone else?"

"Your Majesty has been silently enduring for fourteen years."

"Your Majesty...... It's really not easy. ”

(End of chapter)