Chapter 382: I'll accompany you
On the second day after the snow stopped, Li Huan got up early, looked in the bronze mirror for the first time, and tidied his clothes.
"How is it?" he turned around and asked his wife.
Chang took a quick glance and said irresponsibly, "He is a handsome man."
During breakfast, Li Huan seemed gentle, but when he hurried out, the maid muttered, "The master looks a little panicked today!"
Chang continued to eat breakfast leisurely, comforting herself: "My son-in-law is getting better and better now. As his father-in-law, it would be best for my husband to get a leisurely job. This way, we can both be happy."
Grandson Li was only three years old and quite smart. He was carried by his mother. Usually, Changshi would have extended her hand with a smile, but today she was stunned.
"Grandma, grandma."
"What?" Chang raised his eyes.
Li Fang said in a baby voice: "Grandma, the chopsticks are upside down."
Chang looked down and saw that it was true. She smiled to hide her true colors and said, "It's good that it fell. It will keep the family safe."
……
When Li Huan arrived at Taichang Temple, everyone had arrived early.
Today is the day that Yan Shifan takes office. No one is paying attention to anything, especially Li Huan, who even sorted out the things he was doing in preparation for the handover.
It's not resignation, but preparation to take sick leave.
After waiting for half an hour, no one showed up. Just when everyone thought that this young cabinet minister was extremely domineering, an official arrived.
"From now on, Yan Siqing will stay in Zhilu. The daily routine of Taichang Temple... Is Li Sicheng available?"
Li Huan came out in a daze, "I am here."
The official said, "Your Majesty has ordered that from now on, the affairs of the Taichang Temple will be managed by Li Sicheng."
Li Huan was stunned. Everyone looked at him slowly, and as soon as the official left, they surrounded him in an instant.
"Congratulations, Li Sicheng!"
"Today he is the temple secretary, tomorrow he will definitely be the temple minister."
"..."
Li Huan was still in shock, his son-in-law's words from yesterday echoing in his mind.
——Keep calm!
What to stabilize?
My son-in-law asked me to stay calm and not get carried away.
……
Although Li Tian did not personally participate in the disaster relief work, she was exhausted from collecting and distributing supplies. The couple slept soundly that day.
"get up."
"Don't make trouble!"
"Husband, it's time to get up."
"I told you to stop making trouble!"
"It's already daybreak."
Jiang Qingzhi hugged his wife and said, "Sleep a little longer."
Li Tian broke free, put on her clothes, opened the door and took a look, "Ah! The sun is out."
The long-lost sunshine shone into the yard. From the frozen branches, icicles hung down like ice flowers.
Jiang Qingzhi's sleepiness also dissipated. He didn't know when he got used to having such a person in his arms, and he felt particularly at ease when he hugged her.
"get up!"
Jiang Qingzhi used great willpower to crawl out of the warm bed and put on his clothes while shivering.
"Husband, come out and see."
Li Tian's cheerful voice came from outside.
"What catches your eyes?"
Jiang Qingzhi muttered and yawned as he walked out of the bedroom.
There was still a light layer of fog in the sky, and the sunlight shone through the fog, casting a hazy light on the yard.
Snow still accumulated on the wet black tiles. Melted snow dripped down the icicles under the eaves. On the dark blue floor tiles, small holes were hit by the snow, splashing water everywhere...
A bird was perched on the roof, chirping crisply.
Suddenly a bird flew over, and the two birds started to fight together. In the blink of an eye, they both flapped their wings and flew away.
"Meow!"
His shoulders sank and Jiang Qingzhi reached out to touch Duoduo's back.
He closed his eyes and said, "I have passed this level."
Li Tian looked up at the foggy sky, her lips curled up, "Husband, they all say you are a kind person!"
"There are so many kind people." Jiang Qingzhi said, but he felt an inexplicable satisfaction and comfort in his heart.
"By the way, they said Mr. Xia is preparing to return home." Li Tian said.
"I'll go check it out."
At breakfast, seeing the tired faces of the guards, Jiang Qingzhi ordered: "Thanks for your hard work in disaster relief, each of you will receive 500 coins."
"Uncle is wise!" Sun Bu Tong took the lead in shouting.
Jiang Qingzhi thought that if he were in another place or environment, this guy would definitely be a troublemaker in troubled times.
Dou Jialan also looked very happy, so Jiang Qingzhi asked casually, "Have you paid off all the debts?"
Dou Jialan shook his head. "There are still some, but not much."
Jiang Qingzhi admired the woman's resilience.
Sun Chonglou was just telling Fucheng that he would save 400 of the 500 coins, and he would take 100 coins and invite Fucheng to watch a circus.
Fucheng said with a stern face that he should save money to get married, but his hands behind his back were flicking his fingers proudly.
"Fucheng." Jiang Qingzhi finished his meal.
"Uncle." Fu Cheng had a skill that allowed him to immediately become respectful no matter what state or expression he was in after Jiang Qingzhi called him.
"Have someone tell Madam to have the yard that was prepared earlier swept and all the necessary utensils provided."
"Yes." Fu Cheng agreed, and then went to the backyard to report. In the entire Bo's mansion, apart from the male owner Jiang Qingzhi, the only men who could go in and out of the backyard were Fu Cheng and Sun Chonglou, and occasionally the old man Xia Yan.
"My husband wants to keep Mr. Xia, but he is aloof and arrogant, so I'm afraid he won't agree." Li Tian knew Jiang Qingzhi's intention as soon as she heard it.
"We have to give it a try." Fu Cheng said, "Mr. Xia has rich experience and is highly respected. If he stays, it will be of great help to you, my Lord."
Li Tian shook her head. "My husband doesn't think about these things. In his eyes..."
Li Tian suddenly thought of Dao Ye. In Jiang Qingzhi's eyes, what is Dao Ye?
What is Xia Yan?
When this man hugged her, she felt like he was hugging the whole world. That kind of satisfaction made her happy too, but she felt heartbroken.
"I hope I can keep Mr. Xia here!"
……
Xia Yan is packing up.
He is now staying in an inn. When the owner saw it was him, he wanted to not charge him any money, but Xia Yan refused and insisted on paying whatever he asked.
There wasn't much, just a few pieces of clothes and a few strings of money.
Xia Yan went to the coachman's shop early in the morning. As agreed the day before, he would come today to pay the deposit.
"We'll set off in the afternoon, Mr. Xia, please come over earlier." The shopkeeper personally came out to receive the distinguished guest.
"I will wait outside the city then."
When Xia Yan walked out of the carriage and horse shop, he saw a eunuch.
The eunuch beside the Taoist priest.
"Your Majesty, is there nothing left for you to stay in the capital? Let you, Xia Yan, leave without a care."
Xia Yan didn't expect that the Taoist priest would come to keep him. He said, "I am old, and I want to stay in my hometown. As for the capital, the past is all gone, and the desire for power is nothing."
He used these words to express his disdain for power.
The eunuch said, "The two princes are still young. Your Majesty asked Lord Xia if he would be willing to be their teacher."
This was a serious invitation, and it was also a serious invitation from the prince's teacher. The old friend who came to see him off nodded desperately behind the eunuch, and even stretched out his hand to pull at his neck, indicating that he would kill him if he didn't agree.
Emperor Jiajing only had these two sons, and even if he had more sons, they would not be old enough to catch up. In other words, the future emperor of the Ming Dynasty would come from these two princes.
This is the real imperial teacher!
Although it is not as good as being reinstated as the Prime Minister, it will benefit Xia Yan's descendants and grandchildren a lot many years later.
"Where is Qingzhi?" Xia Yan asked.
Jiang Qingzhi was a serious teacher for the princes, so Emperor Jiajing gave him a ruler specifically to punish him, so that he could hit the tyrant... Wrong, he punished the princes and Zhu Shitai.
"Chang Wei Bo..." The eunuch smiled and said, "Chang Wei Bo has a lot of things to do!"
"Yes!" Xia Yan thought of Jiang Qingzhi, narrowed his eyes slightly, and smiled: "As a leader of the Mohist School, I'm afraid there will be more and more things happening to that kid in the future."
The eunuch smiled and said, "Then Lord Xia..."
Xia Yan shook his head and said, "Tell your majesty that I am leaving."
After saying that, Xia Yan turned and left.
This is the proud Xia Yan!
Emperor Jiajing said that if Xia Yan wanted to leave, he would let the eunuchs see him off.
The eunuch followed Xia Yan back to the inn and tried to persuade him in vain.
Xia Yan entered the room and took out a book to pass the time.
Half an hour later, he stood up and said, "Let's go."
He was going to wait for the carriage from the coach company outside the city.
As soon as he stepped out of the city gate, Xia Yan saw Jiang Qingzhi on the roadside.
Behind him was only Mo Zhan, dressed in a green shirt, smiling and bowing, "Mr. Xia, the weather is nice, would you like to have a drink?"
In the long shed, Sun Chonglou said, "Mr. Xia, this is the best wine in the house."
Xia Yan's throat was full of blood, "Then let's have a drink."
The two entered the shed, with a pot of wine and a dish of pickled broad beans that Xia Yan had been thinking about all the time.
The two sat down and Xia Yan drank three cups in a row.
His cheeks blushed slightly as he said, "Qingzhi, I am now going to live a leisurely life in the woods, enjoying the company of my grandchildren. This can be considered a good ending. Thinking back to the past... it's all gone."
"Lord Xia." Jiang Qingzhi took a sip of wine. "Lord Xia once overlooked the world from a high position in the imperial court, and was highly regarded by the emperor. Once he returns home, is it possible that he will forget all this in his dreams at midnight?"
Xia Yan shook his head.
"Does Mr. Xia think he is old?"
"No, I can still ride fast on my horse and scold the ugly people."
"Mr. Xia, do you know my wish?" Jiang Qingzhi raised his glass.
"For the destiny of the Ming Dynasty?" Xia Yan smiled, ate a broad bean, and squinted his eyes to enjoy it.
"Whenever a new dynasty rises in the Central Plains, the army marches out of the border to terrify the foreign tribes, and the name of the Heavenly Khan is feared by all. One Han Dynasty defeats five barbarians, the barbarians are powerless, and the Han Dynasty prospers... Where did all that enthusiasm go? It dissipated in the subsequent petty intrigues and the subsequent decline of the country."
Jiang Qingzhi toasted Xia Yan with a glass of wine, but he drank with a sad face, "Wang Xuance's mission was able to destroy the country, Su Wu's faith in herding sheep remained unchanged... What is supporting them?"
Jiang Qingzhi drank it all in one gulp, "It's the backbone!"
He pointed to his heart, "It's China!"
Jiang Qingzhi stretched out his hands. "China has great etiquette, so it is called Xia; it has beautiful clothes, so it is called Hua. Why has this glorious China often become a pasture for foreigners? I want to spend my life looking for the answer."
"This road is difficult, but destined to be glorious. My goal is..."
Jiang Qingzhi held the wine glass and said slowly: "Let the warships of the Ming Dynasty cover the sea and the sails cover the sky. Let the footprints of the warriors of the Ming Dynasty spread all over the world... The territory of the Ming Dynasty is no longer what it is on the map."
Jiang Qingzhi pointed to the distance, his eyes sparkling as he said, "Everywhere the Ming army has stepped on is the territory of our Ming Dynasty."
"Your idea is too crazy... Qingzhi, what do you want?" Xia Yan's old eyes turned red.
Jiang Qingzhi said: "All under heaven belongs to the king. All the people in the world are his subjects! The great Ming Dynasty should make the world bow down to it!"
Jiang Qingzhi looked at Xia Yan, "Mr. Xia doesn't want to witness these moments? Or has Mr. Xia already lost his courage!"
Xia Yan tilted his head back, drank the wine in the glass, and suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
He pointed at Jiang Qingzhi and said, "The great Ming Dynasty should make the world bow down to it. You are such a heroic man, so what if I accompany you for a while?!"
(End of this chapter)
