Chapter 516: A fishy fish

After Li Longji arrived in Xianyang, he was supposed to rest for a day before setting off for Chang'an, but Xue Bai was concerned about the war situation in Hebei and asked him to return to Chang'an that day.

Li Longji was dissatisfied with this. He had been working non-stop on the way from Zitong. He was not an ox or a horse, so why couldn't he take a break after finally arriving in Xianyang? He then asked Gao Lishi to find Li Cong and express his dissatisfaction.

own attitude.

Half an hour later, Gao Lishi came back and reported: "Your Majesty, the ceremonial chariot is ready, shall we set off back to Beijing now?"

"Did he turn a deaf ear to my words?" Li Longji was displeased, "I said I don't want to leave now."

Gao Lishi had no choice but to persuade him: "Xianyang is not far from Chang'an. If we drive a little further, the Emperor will be able to stay in Chang'an at night."

"This is not a question of whether it is far or not." Li Longji said angrily: "They dare to treat me as a puppet!"

As he said that, he shook his sleeves vigorously, then looked up at the door and saw that those elite soldiers were sent by Xue Bai, and finally went out gloomily.

When he saw Li Cong again, he would inevitably despise the eldest son for being weak, and scolded this waste in his heart for not being able to make decisions on even the smallest matters, and he was still Xue Bai's puppet.

When Li Cong brought the horse over and helped him mount, he took the opportunity to ask quickly in a low voice: "As the emperor, can't you even decide where to go?"

"Father, the ceremonial schedule has been decided long ago, and all the officials are well prepared. A single move can affect the whole body."

"It seems that you haven't been able to win over even a single official." Li Longji sighed, deeply disappointed that his son had no means.

He got on his horse and showed a happy smile in front of all the ministers.

Li Cong was not angry, thinking that if Li Longji had not suppressed him in his early years, this would have happened. Fortunately, his face was covered with scars, and his emotional changes could not be seen. His filial piety was all expressed in words, and he said loudly: "The child is the father of the emperor."

Lead the horse."

"No, you are the emperor. How could an emperor do such a lowly job?"

Li Cong respectfully replied: "A child is first the son of the father, and then the emperor."

These words seemed very filial. After hearing this, the surrounding officials praised the saint's virtue. Li Longji couldn't help but look back at Xue Bai who was behind him. Xue Bai's expression was dull and he was distracted because he didn't know what he was thinking.

I always felt like he was mocking this hypocritical scene.

The team finally left the Xianyang Palace, and the horses were lifted up quickly. Li Cong finally no longer had to lead the horse, but he did not dare to gallop in front of Li Longji. Instead, he led the way from the front, like a servant and guard.

Every time Li Cong acted like this, Li Longji had to respond, otherwise he would let his ministers gossip. He was also very tired, but he had to rack his brains to think of something to say to show his father's kindness and son's filial piety.

So he laughed twice and smiled: "I have been the emperor for nearly fifty years and have never felt noble. Now that I have become the father of the emperor, I finally feel noble."

Gao Lishi laughed a few times and added a few interesting words, adding some fun to the happy atmosphere. However, he didn't notice that Li Longji's eyes dimmed after he spoke.

The officials accompanying the rear listened, and some whispered a few words.

"The country is in crisis, and the Supreme Emperor has not mentioned a word about the war situation in Hebei. The people are suffering, and he only cares about his own dignity."

"You don't understand this. In such a situation, what else can the Supreme Emperor say?"

"Listen to his words and watch his actions. Where the Emperor's thoughts are has been obvious to everyone in the world. Is it because I don't understand, or do you all only care about power?"

Nowadays, the reason why Xue Bai has power but Li Longji has no power is precisely because of this kind of support. After the Anshi Rebellion, people were fed up with the old and fatuous Li Longji. They believed that among the princes and grandsons, King Yong was the most virtuous and had the greatest contribution.

It can assist the emperor in managing state affairs.

Of course, the lingering shadow of the Tang Dynasty is still there, and Xue Bai can have such a reputation because many people believe that he is the true grandson of the emperor.

~~

In the evening, the team entered Chang'an. When Yi Jia was walking on the royal road of Zhuque Street, the whole city was crying.

Xue Bai was riding on the horse, listening to the cries, and couldn't help but wonder what they were crying about. Do they miss Li Longji too much, or do they think they can return to the stable life of the past?

Ahead, Gao Lishi reined in the reins, turned to Xue Bai, and said: "King Yong, the Supreme Emperor wants to live in Xingqing Palace, but from the looks of it, he seems to be going to Taiji Palace, right?"

Xue Bai replied: "When the rebels attacked the city, the east wall suffered the most serious damage. Xingqing Palace has been devastated by the war and is no longer suitable to live in. Please ask the Supreme Emperor to live in Taiji Palace."

They all know that Xingqing Palace is located outside the palace garden and adjacent to the market. If Li Longji lives in Xingqing Palace, it will be convenient for him to communicate with officials and nobles, while living in Taiji Palace will be a secluded life and easier to control.

.

"It doesn't matter if it's dilapidated." Gao Lishi showed a kind smile and said with a slightly flattering tone: "The Supreme Emperor has lived in Xingqing Palace since his residence. He is a nostalgic person and is used to it. Taiji Palace is humid.

He is old and frail and may not be able to bear it any longer."

Thinking back to that Yuan night many years ago, when the two were walking on the corridor of Xingqing Palace, Gao Lishi protected Xue Bai, who was still a lonely young man at that time, with an awe-inspiring and inviolable majesty. But now, his tall figure has changed

He became rickety, the corners of his eyes became densely wrinkled, and he no longer had the strong posture in front of Xue Bai.

Logically speaking, Xue Bai should repay him, but Xue Bai seemed very unkind.

"For decades, people all over the world have been getting used to the Emperor, the officials selected by the Emperor, and the taxes set by the Emperor. Now, let's let the Emperor get used to it, okay?"

Gao Lishi was stunned, feeling that Xue Bai was a little ungrateful, but it was this cold attitude that made him unable to persuade him any more, so he had no choice but to follow Li Longji to Tai Chi Palace.

Li Longji has always disliked Tai Chi Palace. When he checked in, he tripped over the threshold of the palace and no palace maid came to help him.

Because of this incident, he lost his temper alone that night and smashed several porcelain bottles.

When Gao Lishi came over, he saw the mess all over the ground. He didn't know why the always wise Emperor had a sudden attack, so he quickly stepped forward to comfort him.

"Why are you doing this, Your Majesty? If people mistakenly think you are dissatisfied, it will only lower your prestige."

"I have fallen to this level." Li Longji pointed to the marks of swords and axes on the pillars of the dormitory, "Even my residence is such a dilapidated house that cannot be repaired. They insult me, insult me!"

It was left behind by the Imperial Guard who robbed the palace when he escaped from Chang'an. In recent years, Chang'an didn't even have a palace supervisor, so it really didn't bother to repair it.

What was even more difficult for Li Longji to accept was that he could sense that the main target of the officials, eunuchs, guards, and even the maids was no longer him. This transfer of power left him with a huge gap.

Unfortunately, venting and crying will only make him laughable like a child.

Fortunately, there were only him and Gao Lishi in the dormitory for the time being. It was ridiculous, as he had accumulated too much depression in his chest. When he returned to Chang'an, he had mixed emotions and finally couldn't hold it in any longer.

"When I was here, I was so heroic. After we eliminated Empress Wei and brought peace to peace... Heaven did not protect me, but now, I have fallen into this state!"

Gao Lishi hurriedly said: "The Emperor doesn't have to be like this."

"It doesn't have to be like this?" Li Longji raised his head in shock. He didn't know whether he wanted to hurt Gao Lishi or himself. He patted the royal couch under him hard and asked, "Then tell me, did the traitor fight with me here?"

Tai Zhen Yun Yu?!”

Gao Lishi had never thought that there would be such a problem. He couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, shook his head and said: "This is absolutely not the case."

"You still want to hide it from me. I saw the two of them hugging each other in Chencangshan. I even heard about their scandal in Shu County! His dog paws...dog paws..."

"Your Majesty, you must never believe in folk rumors!"

But Li Longji became more and more enthusiastic as he talked, as if this was the only way he could feel sad and sad.

At this time, another eunuch came over and carefully asked for an imperial letter from Li Longji to appease He Lan Jinming. He had no choice but to hold back his tears and write down the pen with an extremely reluctant and humiliating mood.

, copied the imperial letter and asked Gao Lishi to hand it over.

When Gao Lishi turned around again, he saw Li Longji sitting there in despair, no longer crying, but with a self-deprecating bitter smile on his face.

"Your Majesty, please rest in peace?"

Li Longji pointed to his nose and murmured: "I am a puppet."

Feeling sad, he muttered a poem.

"Carving wood and stringing threads together makes an old man look like a real man."

"After a while, everything was quiet, and it still seemed like a dream in life."

That night, Li Longji didn't sleep all night. He sat in his bedroom with his back bent and was in a daze all night.

Gao Lishi stayed up all night with him, and finally fell asleep sitting on a wooden bench at dawn. In a daze, he was shaken awake by Li Longji.

"I know my crime." Gao Lishi said quickly, "Your Majesty, what is this..."

He suddenly noticed that Li Longji's expression was much calmer, and he was not as self-defeating as he was last night.

"I figured it out."

"The Great Emperor?"

"I was wrong before. I believed Wu's words and killed the three sons. I also believed in Hu'er, which caused a great chaos." Li Longji said, "I will hold a banquet and invite them all. I will admit the past in front of my children and grandchildren.

's fault."

"King Yong..."

"This child has suffered the most, but I haven't officially recognized him yet." Li Longji murmured, "We have to recognize him."

~~

"Royal banquet?"

Xue Bai was a little surprised when he heard this request in the midst of his busy schedule, but since this request was made by Li Longji, it was not so strange.

Nowadays, the imperial court is short of money and food due to countering the rebellion. In his opinion, it is not suitable to have too many banquets. After hearing this, he refused directly and said: "The Supreme Emperor has returned from Shu County and traveled across mountains and rivers. It is better to rest for a while first.

We will celebrate after Shi Siming is pacified."

Unexpectedly, Li Longji was very persistent in this matter, and repeatedly asked Gao Lishi to convey his desire to hold a family banquet.

Gradually, many members of the Li and Tang clan believed that there should be a family dinner for the Supreme Emperor and King Yong to recognize each other. Even in the end, some officials, including Yan Zhenqing and Yuan Zai, advised Xue Bai not to lose his reputation because of this trivial matter.

Xue Bai just realized that in the eyes of these officials, he was really the grandson of the emperor Li Qian.
To be continued...