NCCnovel Chapter 685 The First Appearance
Chapter 685 The First Appearance
It was still dawn, the thick night had not yet completely faded, and the streets of Xianyang were still shrouded in a hazy gray, but Li Chengqian had quietly embarked on the journey to Qianling Mausoleum.
He was dressed in a dark robe, his figure stretched out in the dim morning light. Surrounded by guards, his steps were firm yet revealing a bit of fatigue that was hard to conceal.
In order to ensure that Li Chengqian could stay in good condition during the journey, Hu Bugui almost stayed up all night.
In the pharmacy, the dim candlelight flickered in the breeze. Hu Bugui stood by the fire with full concentration, his eyes fixed on the medicine jar. He was very careful every time he put in the herbs and controlled the temperature, for fear of making the slightest mistake.
The process of boiling the medicine was long and arduous. The rich aroma of the medicine gradually filled the entire room until the sky turned pale, and the prescription was finally ready.
After Li Chengqian drank the medicine, at least for now, his complexion seemed to have improved significantly.
Compared with the previous year, his face, which was as pale as paper, now has some color and he looks much more energetic.
But Hu Bugui's brows were still tightly furrowed, and his worry had not diminished at all.
These medicines are just tonics after all. Although they can nourish the body to a certain extent, they are not miracle drugs that can bring the dead back to life, and they cannot fundamentally reverse Your Majesty's deteriorating physical condition.
Your Majesty's health is now like a dilapidated ship that has been drifting in the wind and waves for too long, full of holes and on the verge of collapse.
All Hu Bugui could do was to use the limited resources at hand, like a crude repairman, to patch up the broken ship and do his best to make it survive the rough sea for a little longer and sail further.
What worries Hu Bugui even more is His Majesty's current daily routine. Usually, only the elderly and frail will sleep less and less, but His Majesty is in middle age and his body is so weak. How can this not make people worried?
When the dawn sunshine completely dispelled the haze of the night, the group finally arrived at Qianling Mausoleum.
Li Chengqian slowly got off the carriage and looked up. What caught his eye were the lush osmanthus trees outside Qianling Mausoleum.
A gentle breeze blew, and a long-lost smile finally appeared on Li Chengqian's face.
He stood there quietly, his eyes sweeping over every scene outside Qianling Mausoleum, but his thoughts had already drifted into the mausoleum.
His first wife, Su Zhi, the woman who was devoted to him and only treated him well, is buried here.
The years he spent with Su Zhi, whether peaceful and warm or eventful and eventful, all of them kept emerging in his mind.
He remained silent, but his heart was already in turmoil.
When facing his father in Zhaoling, although his heart was filled with grievances brought by his son, he held back his tears and maintained the dignity of an emperor.
However, at this moment, standing in front of Qianling Mausoleum, facing his beloved, all his strength collapsed in an instant, and tears flowed uncontrollably.
Su Zhi will definitely understand him.
Even if everyone in the world favors his son, Su Zhi will never do that.
If Su Zhi were still alive, how could You'er become what he is now?
Su Zhi is so smart and kind, she will definitely be able to teach You'er to become a successful person and put him on the right path.
Li Chengqian closed his eyes.
"Lingxi'er, I feel so wronged!"
He screamed silently in his heart.
No one around dared to disturb them.
After a long time, Li Chengqian took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes. The sadness in his eyes gradually faded away, replaced by a determined look.
"Let's go."
His voice was extremely low, as if he had made some important decision at this moment.
In the eyes of others, His Majesty just stood quietly in Qianling Mausoleum for half an hour, and then turned around and returned calmly.
But Zhang Xianhuai, who had followed Li Chengqian since childhood, keenly noticed that His Majesty seemed to have unloaded the heavy burden that had been weighing on his heart for a long time, and he felt much more relaxed.
After returning to Chang'an, no one except Hu Bugui knew that Li Chengqian had secretly summoned Mr. Qi and Lin Dafu.
Inside the Liangyi Hall, the flickering candlelight stretched the figures of the three people into long lines.
Li Chengqian, who hadn't stayed up late for a year, was in high spirits tonight and chatted with these two old friends whom he had known for many years all night long.
Sometimes they whispered, sometimes they laughed heartily, recalling the glorious years.
Time passed quietly, and in the late summer of the seventeenth year of Qianwu, an event occurred that was enough to shock the entire court and the country.
Mr. Qi, the loyal minister who has been by your Majesty's side since he ascended the throne, who has weathered countless storms in the court and stood firm for seventeen years, has actually submitted his resignation and chosen to retire.
As soon as the news came out, all the civil and military officials in the court were shocked. For a time, there was a lot of discussion inside and outside the court, and everyone was speculating about the reason.
However, when faced with Mr. Qi's request to resign, Li Chengqian did not say a word to retain him, but just smiled, and that smile seemed to hide many unknown meanings.
In the autumn of the 17th year of Qianwu, Wang Wen, who was only 25 years old, emerged in the court like a dazzling new star.
Born in the countryside, Wang Wen entered officialdom with a simple demeanor. Relying on his exceptional talent, he rose from obscure figure to a position in the Grand Council in just three years, a position that would be unattainable for ordinary officials in their entire lives.
For a moment, everyone in the court focused their attention on this young figure.
Mr. Qi also ascended the position of Grand Tutor at the age of 25. Now that Mr. Qi has passed away, Wang Wen has naturally taken over his affairs.
Wang Wen, who had just taken power, had not yet fully adapted to this sudden change and had not yet truly figured out what kind of power and responsibility he held in his hands.
At the same time, all kinds of rumors began to spread among the people, all of which were deliberately spread by people with ulterior motives.
They spread the word that His Majesty was already senile and wanted to support such a young man with no background to reach a high position in the government.
The dissatisfaction and jealousy in the hearts of the officials in the court are self-evident.
They have been struggling in the officialdom for their entire lives, overcoming countless hardships and obstacles, and finally reached their current positions step by step. However, this young man easily surpassed them in just three years. How could they accept this?
Countless memorials were sent directly to the Liangyi Palace, bypassing the Grand Council.
They were dissatisfied, and when a young man in charge of the Grand Council came to review their memorials, they felt insulted.
They were unwilling to do so, so they sent a memorial directly to Liangyi Palace as their silent protest.