bookrebus Chapter 735 My time is worthless
Chapter 735 My time is worthless
On the top of Zhongnan Mountain, the cold morning breeze carried broken ice chips, scratching Li Chengqian's wrinkled face.
Even though it is only autumn, the temperature in Zhong Nanshan is no different from winter.
He tightly grasped the gilded jade pendant with dragon pattern around his waist. It was the one his mother had put in his hand before she died. The warm jade had already seeped into his body temperature, but it could not warm his cold heart at the moment.
The eastern sky seemed to be torn open, and the red sun was struggling to break free from the clouds.
Li Chengqian looked at it, a little dazed.
"Bugui, look, do you see it?"
Hu Bugui hurried forward, his dark armor rustling in the wind. He followed the emperor's withered finger and saw the crimson sun finally leaping completely from the mountain peak. Myriad golden rays poured down, dyeing the sea of clouds a roiling mass of molten gold.
But he was full of doubts in his heart. He didn't understand why His Majesty took them to the top of the mountain so early in the morning and expressed his feelings towards the rising sun.
But years of habit made him just nod solemnly: "Teacher, I see."
Li Chengqian suddenly started coughing violently, and covered his mouth with his bony hands, with dark red spots seeping out from between his fingers.
He took a deep breath, looked at the scattered villages below the mountain, and continued, "You all know that the people resent me for not opening up trade routes for them and not giving them the opportunity to make money."
His eyes swept across the rooftops from which smoke curled. "They have many complaints against me."
"In teahouses and taverns, storytellers all talk about 'the current emperor is stupid,' and in the streets and alleys, children sing nursery rhymes that curse me."
The mountain wind howled, blowing up Li Chengqian's gray hair.
"We've been living in good times for too long. Every household no longer has to worry about food. Everyone has extra money and food, so they want more."
His voice was filled with suppressed resentment. "They've forgotten the great famine of the third year of Zhenguan, when the bark on the trees was gnawed clean off!"
"I've forgotten the thrilling moment when my father single-handedly persuaded the Turkic army of 200,000 to retreat during the Weishui Alliance!"
"I forgot that I reached the Xiongnu as soon as I came to power, a Qing Dynasty family."
"You've forgotten that it was me who freed them from oppression and ensured they had enough food and clothing."
"You've forgotten that this peaceful and prosperous era was won at the cost of the blood and flesh of countless soldiers!"
Hu Bugui clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. He was about to speak when Li Chengqian raised his hand to stop him.
"You don't have to be angry, this is inevitable."
The emperor's voice returned to calm, yet it was filled with deep sadness. "The people are like this now because their class has changed."
“After having enough food and clothing, people want more money and more power.”
"They won't stand with us anymore."
Li Chengqian turned around and faced the rising sun, his old face appearing red in the reflection.
"But children are different. They are like a blank sheet of paper, just like the rising sun."
A glimmer flashed in his eyes. "As long as they can understand what we mean, as long as they stick to their original intentions when they grow up, even if only one of them remembers my words, then it won't be a waste of time as a teacher."
He looked down at his hands covered with age spots and laughed at himself, "My time is worthless."
After saying that, he turned and walked down the mountain, his dragon-patterned soap boots making a crunching sound as he stepped on the gravel.
"Go to Cuiwei Palace."
The vermilion lacquered gate of Cuiwei Palace slowly opened, and the creaking sound startled two white doves under the eaves.
This palace, built in the eighth year of Wude, was originally named Taihe Palace. It was later renovated by Yan Lide and renamed Cuiwei Palace. It was once the most famous summer palace for the royal family.
Li Chengqian walked over the white marble steps engraved with lotus patterns, and his fingertips stroked the mottled gilded dragons on the corridor columns. The dark red primer was exposed where the gilt had peeled off.
"Cuiwei Palace is built around a mountain garden, taking advantage of the beauty of the forest and springs."
Li Chengqian walked and spoke, his voice echoing in the empty courtyard, "The main gate is called Yunxia Gate, which means steaming clouds and mist."
"The Cuiwei Hall, the imperial palace, implies the subtle charm of green mountains."
"The bedroom is called Hanfeng Hall, where a breeze blows through in all seasons."
He stopped in front of an octagonal pavilion, where a half-eaten chess piece still lay on the stone table. "Back then, my father often played chess with Fang Xiang here. After a game, the affairs of the world were settled."
Passing through the nine-curve corridor, we arrived at the Prince's Palace.
The West Gate Jinhua Gate was tightly closed, with spider webs hanging from the copper rings.
Li Chengqian stretched out his hand to touch it, but stopped in mid-air.
"This was once my residence, Xi'an Hall..."
His voice suddenly choked with sobs. "When my mother was still alive, she would stay here with me every summer. She said the name 'Xi'an' was a good choice and she hoped I would live a happy and peaceful life."
The Hanfeng Hall was filled with a stale, musty smell, and the bright yellow window paper on the windows had long since turned yellow and brittle.
Li Chengqian walked towards the sandalwood cabinet in the corner, and the cabinet door made a creaking sound when it opened.
There were piles of memorials neatly stacked in the cabinet. The one on top still had the red mark "The 15th Year of Zhenguan" on the cover, which was still as bright as new.
He put on his reading glasses and carefully opened the memorial.
Fang Xuanling's handwriting is vigorous and powerful, and every stroke reveals calmness.
Wei Zheng's regular script is neat and rigorous, and between the lines one can seem to see the loyal minister arguing for his rights in the court.
Suddenly, his fingers stopped on a memorial and tears welled up in his eyes.
"Hahaha..." Li Chengqian suddenly burst into laughter, startling the sparrows on the beams and making them fly around.
On the memorial, his father Li Shimin's red comments and Cheng Yaojin's memorial complement each other.
The red seal read: "Cheng Zhijie, is your ox sick again? Next time, you can change the excuse to drowning, falling off a cliff, etc."
Cheng Yaojin, writing crookedly beside him, replied, "I have followed your Majesty's instructions and changed my tactics!"
Li Chengqian smiled, but tears rolled down his cheeks and dripped onto the memorial, blurring the ink.
He seemed to see the old general with a dark face and curly beard, telling lies with a red face in the court.
I saw my father holding his forehead with one hand, with a helpless and funny expression.
Seeing all the civil and military officials in the court couldn't help laughing.
"Great, really great, this is truly a truly wonderful Tang Dynasty!"
He muttered to himself, his voice full of nostalgia.
Li Zhentao quietly wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, while Hu Bugui clenched his fists.
They couldn't remember how long it had been since His Majesty had laughed like this.
Since the Xian De Incident, Your Majesty has been repeatedly obstructed, impeached by all the civil and military officials in the court, and misunderstood and abused by the people of the world. He has been gloomy all day long, the wrinkles between his eyebrows have become deeper and deeper, and the smile has gradually disappeared from his face.
"Bugui, Zhentao, the teacher has something else to trouble you with."
Li Chengqian carefully put away the memorial, and his eyes regained their calmness.
He walked to the window and looked at the dead old locust tree in the courtyard. The shadow of the tree was very long on the ground, like a scar.
The two of them immediately bowed and said in unison: "Teacher, please speak."
Li Chengqian turned around, his eyes determined: "I need you to do something."
"Collate and transcribe these memorials and compile them into a booklet. This way, we can let the children know how the Tang Dynasty came to power step by step."
He paused for a moment, "Send people to secretly protect the families of officials who were persecuted for supporting the new policies. Don't let the descendants of loyal officials feel discouraged."
"According to the order!"
"As for the rest, I will tell you tomorrow."
Li Chengqian looked out the window again. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on him, giving him a hazy golden hue.
In the distance, the red sun is about to set, and tomorrow, a new sun will rise.
He didn't know whether his persistence was right, nor whether the children could understand his painstaking efforts.
But at this moment, his heart was calmer than ever before.
As night falls, Cuiwei Palace is shrouded in silence.
Li Chengqian sat alone in Hanfeng Hall, looking at the flickering candlelight on the desk.
Outside the window, the mountain wind was howling, making the windows rattle.
Li Chengqian turned a deaf ear to it. He picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote lines of words on the rice paper.