noffsinger Chapter 381 Mr. Qi Doesn’t Understand
Chapter 381 Mr. Qi Doesn’t Understand
In the Liangyi Hall, on ordinary days, whenever His Majesty leaves the palace, all important cabinet meetings will be held in this solemn Liangyi Hall.
A long and intense meeting finally came to an end. The noise and arguments gradually faded away, leaving only silence in the air.
At this time, the Liangyi Hall was empty, with only Fang Xuanling and Mr. Qi sitting opposite each other.
Fang Xuanling was dressed in a dark purple court robe. The traces of time had carved deep wrinkles on his face. His eyes were filled with fatigue. He slowly said, "Grand Master Qi, time is unforgiving. I am now very old. I am afraid that I will have to trouble you a lot with the complicated government affairs in the future."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Qi smiled faintly and quickly said, "Prime Minister Fang, you are really too kind."
"Who doesn't know that the Tang Dynasty can achieve its current prosperity because of the great contributions made by you, Prime Minister Fang?"
"You are the pillar of the Tang Dynasty!"
Fang Xuanling smiled softly, supported himself on the armrests of the chair, and slowly stood up, saying, "I, an old man, have only been working hard in this court for many years. I am fortunate to have been able to accompany Your Majesty through the first half of this stormy journey."
"As for the more difficult second half of the journey, I'm afraid only capable and wise ministers like you, Grand Tutor Qi, can accompany His Majesty on this journey."
He raised his head slightly, took a deep breath, and continued, "Everyone has their destiny. Lately, I've been feeling increasingly tired and exhausted, and my energy is far less than it used to be. I'm afraid that soon, like those retired ministers, I'll have to go to a sanatorium to accompany the Emperor and spend the few remaining years in peace."
Hearing Fang Xuanling's slightly dejected words, Mr. Qi's face became solemn. He was silent for a moment, staring intently at Fang Xuanling, and suddenly asked, "Prime Minister Fang, are you afraid of death?"
When Fang Xuanling heard this, he looked at Mr. Qi with interest, as if he was searching for something in his eyes.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, pondered for a moment, and slowly replied, "Master Qi, I've lived for most of my life, and have experienced countless ups and downs, storms and hardships. I've long since become indifferent to the affairs of this world."
"Life is nothing more than dealing with endless government affairs and dealing with endless personnel issues every day. It's just a dull life."
"As for death, for me, it's a peaceful and tranquil experience. It's just a small coffin that will hold my exhausted body, isolating me from the hustle and bustle of this world."
His eyes revealed satisfaction as he continued, "In this life, I have not sought wealth and glory, nor have I sought to leave a name in history. I simply long to see the Tang Dynasty become better, the people live and work in peace, and the country prosper."
"I am already very satisfied to have the honor of seeing the Tang Dynasty reach such a glorious stage under the wise leadership of Your Majesty."
"As for where the Tang Dynasty will go in the future and what heights it can reach, it all depends on God's grace."
After saying this, he shook his head again and said with emotion: "I am getting old and my energy is not as good as it used to be."
Then he waved to Mr. Qi, took staggering steps, and walked out of the Liangyi Hall slowly and leisurely.
Mr. Qi looked at Fang Xuanling's departing back and stood there for a long time. He only slowly withdrew his gaze when the figure disappeared outside the palace gate.
His eyes fell on the various memorials piled up on the desk. The densely packed text on those memorials made him feel a little annoyed.
He reached out his hand helplessly and pressed his temple.
I haven't been this tired for a long time. I really miss the leisurely and unrestrained days.
As he thought about it, a wry smile appeared on his lips, and he murmured to himself, "Alas, I have really boarded His Majesty's pirate ship."
Thinking of His Majesty, Mr. Qi's eyes couldn't help but become dazed, and his thoughts instantly drifted back to the past.
He clearly remembered the scene when he first met Li Chengqian. At that time, Li Chengqian was still an innocent little kid, and his face was always filled with a relaxed smile.
Although he was the honorable Crown Prince, he did not forget to enjoy the fun of life in the process of developing Xianyang. He often played with the servants around him and did not seem to have too many thoughts about the future throne.
He still remembered that the then crown prince had once said half-jokingly and half-seriously during a casual conversation: "Being an emperor is a shitty thing. I'm exhausted all day long. It's better to be a leisurely prince."
"You can eat, drink and have fun freely for the rest of your life, and just take care of your own little piece of land. Why worry about the affairs of the world? Drink and enjoy today, isn't that happy?"
But since when, the Crown Prince who used to live a life of luxury has quietly undergone a complete transformation.
He began to slowly restrain his temper and no longer lingered on the extremely luxurious residence of the Qianyu Chamber of Commerce. His daily food, clothing, housing and transportation became more simple, and his style of doing things became more steady and rigorous. No matter what he did, he no longer was extravagant, but always considered the national conditions of the Tang Dynasty and the suffering of the people.
In the end, he ascended the supreme throne, shouldered the entire Tang Dynasty's country and people, and placed this heavy burden on his shoulders.
Mr. Qi was puzzled. What exactly is His Majesty trying to do?
He knew better than anyone that what His Majesty longed for deep down in his heart was simply to be a free and easy king, to live a carefree and comfortable life, and to have enough power under his command to protect him.
Starting from the city of Xianyang back then, when Your Majesty saw batch after batch of displaced refugees, everything changed.
Compassion and responsibility began to show in His Majesty's eyes, and he decided to continue to take in those refugees and give them hope and dignity for survival.
Since then, the pressure on His Majesty has been increasing.
Faced with so many hungry refugees, His Majesty was unwilling to give up. He not only tried his best to provide them with enough food and clothing, but also let them join the army to defend their country. Although all this was initially forced by current affairs, His Majesty never complained or retreated.
As things have developed to this day, the seemingly extremely heavy pressures of the past are no longer anything compared to the difficulties faced by the entire Tang Dynasty today.
Now, the pressure of the entire Tang Dynasty falls heavily on Your Majesty alone.
Mr. Qi hasn't seen His Majesty smile as relaxedly as he did in the past for a long time.
As a subject, all I can do is to help Your Majesty with all my heart and share some of the pressure for Your Majesty.
Thinking of this, Mr. Qi shook his head helplessly again, and sighed sincerely: "Your Majesty, you are really a strange man! His thoughts are really hard to guess."