the enlightener says

The well-ripe beef tastes very fragrant and has a strong mouthfeel. He raised the bowl full of sorghum wine and drank it, only feeling the sweet and spicy taste mixed with the beef from his chest to his lower abdomen with a bang , All of a sudden the whole body felt warm.

He remembered that when Li Qiuhuang won the battle for the first time back then, Li Qiuhuang personally celebrated for them. Standing on a high platform, the handsome king said with a majestic voice: "Soldiers of the Tang Kingdom! Today! I respect you all alone!"

At that time, the same kind of sorghum wine was not expensive, but warm and pungent, like a sharp knife when it entered the throat.

After everyone finished drinking, they shattered the pottery bowls in their hands. There was a roar of laughter in the army, and the king laughed even louder.

Li Qi recalled Li Qiuhuang's poem that day, smiled and clapped his hands and began to chant: "In May, the mountains are snowy, there are no flowers, only cold, the willows are heard on the flute, and the spring has never been seen..."

Outside the prison door, someone was clapping his hands with his footsteps, and the voice was just right: "Xiao Zhan follows the golden drum, Xiao Mian holds the jade saddle. I wish to cut down millions of soldiers with the sword!"

Li Qi's pupils shrank, and he turned his head to look. Li Qiuhuang was standing outside the prison door in a plain robe, looking at him with a smile.

"Open the door!" Li Qiuhuang shouted loudly.

"The lord. This..." The guards with swords in the sky prison were a little shocked when they saw Li Qiuhuang alone. This is the sky prison... and the person imprisoned inside is Li Qi, the biggest traitor last night!

Once the door is opened, how can the safety of the king be guaranteed?If something goes wrong, who dares to take the responsibility?

"Open the door." Li Qiuhuang looked at the guard with gentle eyes and repeated it again, as if he could see the guard's worry, and continued: "Although Gu is called the Immortal of Poetry rather than the Immortal of Sword, at least Gu has been with you since childhood. The swordsmanship teacher has practiced fencing, so it is not impossible to protect himself. What's more..."

He looked at the shocked Li Qi, and said, "It's all like this, he shouldn't be so mad that he wants to kill Gu Cai."

"Yes..." The guard was speechless, but in fact he secretly slandered: Do you practice fencing?But for so many years, I have never heard of how brilliant your swordsmanship is. It was rumored that the "General Butcher" Cheng Shuangfu was recruited into the palace because he was defeated by you, but who knows if this is rumored in the public? Exaggerated?

One is the pampered lord, and the other is General Li Qi who has been fighting on the battlefield all year round. He really can't be inclined to trust the lord's swordsmanship attainments.

But thinking about it, he still had to open the door, after all, this was an order, not a request.But he secretly made up his mind, intending to watch here, and if there is a problem, he will immediately rush in to rescue him, even if he uses his body to block any attack!

The cell door was gently opened, Li Qiuhuang walked in slowly, turned his head and said: "Go outside and wait."

"This……"

"Go. Gu will call you if there is anything to do." Li Qiuhuang looked displeased, and said, "Could it be that Gu's words don't work anymore?"

"Yes..." The guard turned and left unwillingly, while Li Qiuhuang stood in front of Li Qi who was stunned and said with a smile, "How, how is this wine and meat? Does it look like the one from back then..."

With a "plop", Li Qi suddenly knelt down, buried his head on the ground, and kowtowed in a heavy and difficult voice, with some crying sounds: "The sinful minister...the guilty minister...has seen the king!"

"Get up." Li Qiuhuang didn't pay much attention, and sat down at the table seemingly familiar, while taking down the sorghum wine on the small stove, looking left and right, but found that there was no second bowl, so he had no choice but to Said: "Oh, I asked them to prepare wine and meat, but I forgot to ask them to prepare an extra bowl."

He shook the wine in the jar, poured a bowl full for Li Qi, and said: "It seems that Gu can only drink from this jar, and you will have to drink the wine left by Gu, but don't drink it. dislike."

Li Qi stood up with great difficulty, and for a moment, he didn't understand what Li Qiuhuang meant, so he said in shock, "This, what's the matter?"

"What? Hate Gu?" Li Qiuhuang had already taken a sip, and stretched out his hand to signal Li Qi to sit down quickly.

"No, no... where is it!" Li Qi stood aside, couldn't help but wanted to kneel again, but was stopped by Li Qiuhuang's "Stand up!", and could only act like a child who made a mistake Standing in place in a daze.

After thinking for a while, he still whispered: "It is inappropriate for the lord to come to such a place in person, but he still intends to drink with the criminals, this..."

He is not a civil servant, and he can't think of a more appropriate description than "Cheng He Titong".

"I don't think there's anything wrong with this place. This is the highest-standard room in the sky prison. Even the small wine shops in Ding'an City may not be as clean as this place." Li Qiuhuang squinted his eyes and endured the strong drink. Noticing the instant burning sensation in his throat, he said, "Sit down."

"The lord..."

"Sit down!" Li Qiuhuang raised his eyebrows, his tone was already a little harsh, but soon turned helpless, "You people, you all learned from that old stubborn Cai Yong, monarchs and ministers Ups and downs... it's not too boring."

Li Qi sat down slowly, looked at Li Qiuhuang, and said: "There is a difference between the monarch and his ministers after all...there can be order in this world if there is superiority and inferiority...if everyone treats everyone equally, wouldn't it be a mess?"

"From Gu's point of view... there is nothing wrong with treating everyone equally." Li Qiuhuang put down the wine jar, knocked on the table and said, "It's about this time, you should let go of it."

Li Qi knew that he was saying that he had become a death row prisoner and would be executed soon, so his eyes dimmed slightly.

But soon, he cheered up again—exchanging his life for the lives of [-] soldiers, it was worth it.

Chapter 299 Heavenly Prison, Monarchs and Ministers

Li Qi just thought about it for a while, then he also sat down at the table, looked at Li Qiuhuang face to face, and said with a smile: "If you want to come to the life of a sinful minister, it's not a waste of time to come to this world!"

Li Qiuhuang couldn't help but rolled his eyes, and snorted, "You had a lot of fun, but in the end you risked your life, can you really laugh?"

Li Qi waved his hand and laughed louder. With a relaxed expression, he snatched the jug from Li Qiuhuang's hand, poured a full bowl, and drank it down in one gulp.

On weekdays, this action can really be said to be very presumptuous and transgressive, but Li Qi looked at the four walls of the prison, what else can't be let go?

"Why can't I laugh, this matter has to be done by someone, not the guilty minister, but also someone else."

"Others..." Li Qiuhuang sighed slightly, and suddenly said: "I'm going to issue an order to promote Cai Yong to be the Grand Tutor. As for the two brothers Cai Xiang and Cai Yang, they will be temporarily transferred to the Southern Army."

Among the highest-ranking officials in the Tang Dynasty, the Taifu was one of them. Along with the Taishi and the Taibao, they were all officials of the first rank. If they went up, there was only the Lord himself.

And although this Taifu is from the first grade and has a respected status, he is not an official with real power, but a teacher who teaches the emperor's lessons, but now with Li Qiuhuang's literary talent, I am afraid that there are few people in the world who can surpass him There are talented people above.

This kind of promotion is more like a demotion.

He looked at Li Qi's expression, shook his head and sighed softly: "Could it be that you still think that Gu Zhen doesn't know? It is impossible for you to make this remonstrance alone. Only Cai Yong can plan and make such a decision."

"But...Gu can't save your life." Li Qiuhuang took a sip of wine and said, stroking the circles of lines on the jug with his fingertips, "If the ten thousand Ding'an army rebelled, you don't care about this matter." You can't get rid of it no matter what, and now, even the three thousand dead soldiers, the imperial army...everything must be pushed on your head, can you...can you understand?"

"The guilty minister understands." Li Qidao: "The guilty minister is just an orphan. He has no father, no mother, and no relatives. The surname Li...was also given by the previous king. The guilty minister only married once, and his wife died of illness a few years ago. , so far there is no intention of continuing...Even according to the laws of the Tang Dynasty, the Yi tribe...can only kill one minister."

Li Qi was smiling, with calm eyes: "Cai Zhuguo's family, Cai Xiang and Cai Yang, are all pillars of the country, and Xiao Yan'er... is also a strange and wonderful person, as well as Cai's father and mother. To say the least, there are hundreds of people. This minister’s life is worth the hundreds of lives of the Cai family and the lives of [-] soldiers of the Ding’an army!”

He stood up and bowed heavily: "Cai Zhuguo has been seeking the country for many years, even if he is decisive this time, he is still thinking about the country and society. I am grateful to the Lord for understanding Cai Zhuguo's painstaking efforts and allowing him to spend his old age in peace."

Li Qiuhuang closed his eyes slightly, and sighed: "You can think so, I feel at ease. I hope that after Cai Yong becomes the Taifu, he can really enjoy his old age at home. This can be regarded as a little selfishness. As for Cai Yong Xiang and Cai Yang...they are still young, if they stay in the Southern Conquest Army for a while, they may not have a chance to make a comeback in the future."

"The lord of the country is holy."

"Sage is not holy, I know it myself." Li Qiuhuang said: "I am still suitable for writing poems, playing the piano, dancing with ink, as for governing the country..."

"Why is the lord so self-deprecating?" Li Qi couldn't help interrupting him, "The guilty minister understands that the lord is definitely not the kind of foolish king who only wants to enjoy himself. The general situation of the world, including the general situation of the Tang Dynasty, the lord has his own calculations. Why? Do you want to say such depressing words? Could it be that the demon concubine is really more important than the Tang country, or even the world?"

Li Qiuhuang shook his head, chewed the word, and murmured: "Yaofei... Yaofei..."

Then he smiled and said, "In that case, Li Qi, why don't you continue the string?"

Li Qi was slightly stunned, then bowed his head and said, "The sinful minister... and his dead wife have a deep relationship and a close bond of love. She was sick for a long time, but I was still away from the army at that time, after all, I couldn't see her for the last time. Later, the sinful minister After sorting out her belongings, I discovered dozens of family letters she had hidden under the bed... It turned out that she had wanted to write to me all these years, but she was afraid that it would affect my fight, so she never sent any of them. Since she married me, I have seldom fulfilled my duties as a husband, and I felt guilty, so... I made up my mind not to remarry."

Li Qiuhuang listened quietly while drinking, and finally said with emotion: "It's really touching. Mrs. Lin... is indeed a good wife."

"Yes."

"What if I told you, Li Qi, that Gu felt guilty as well?" Li Qiuhuang said suddenly.

Li Qi raised his head strangely, not knowing what Li Qiuhuang meant by "apologizing".

"The lord, the guilty minister... I don't understand."

"It's an old matter, don't mention it." Li Qiuhuang took a big sip of wine, and suddenly his throat seemed to be on fire. He thought of Yang Taizhen's pure and rosy face when he was a girl, always piled up. smiling face...

That face gradually overlapped with her expressionless and icy face all these years, and now she seems to be made of ice and snow, so cold that it makes people chill.

It's cold in the heart.

"There are some mistakes, and it's too late to undo them." Li Qiuhuang looked at Li Qi, looked over the general's shoulders to the dark corner of the prison, "Actually, it was just a mistake, but... the person who has passed away, How can it be redeemed?"

Li Qiuhuang patted the table lightly with his palm twice, and said: "Tang country... the world. The world is so big, but can't it tolerate such a mistake?"

He seemed to be expressing his feelings for Li Qi's remembrance of his dead wife just now, but it seemed like he was talking to himself.

Li Qi didn't know how to answer, because he didn't understand what the so-called "mistake" in Li Qiuhuang's mouth was, and what made him regret it so much, and even... made him punish himself by drinking, writing poems and neglecting state affairs.

He made up his mind, and still insisted: "The lord... the previous kings of the Tang Kingdom have worked hard to prop up a clear and bright Tang Dynasty. Now it is a time of great conflict. If the lord is so laissez-faire, how can he be worthy of the foundation of his ancestors?"

"The foundation of the ancestors, in the final analysis, is only the foundation of the ancestors. The world is the world of the people in the world. If the Tang Kingdom is really destroyed one day, in the final analysis, it can only show that the Tang Kingdom is not worthy of being supported. Conquer on the battlefield, compete with the heroes of the world, until it is unified The world, that is the ambition and pride that can only be had when you were young... Now I just hope that the people of Tang Kingdom can be stable and prosperous, that's all."

He blinked his eyes slightly, and said out of focus: "You don't need to say any more, maybe the historians have already given Gu the title of 'faint king' with their pens, so let them go..."

Li Qiuhuang drank the last sip of wine, shook the empty jug, with a lonely look on his face.

He had come to Tianlao to see Li Qi off.

Now, the wine has been drunk, but, has he finished talking?

Li Qiuhuang stood up, walked around to Li Qi's side, stretched out his hand, patted Li Qi's shoulder lightly, and sighed, "I'm sorry for you."

Li Qi wanted to stand up in a panic, but found that the power in Li Qiuhuang's hands was so great that even he, a practitioner who had broken through the third realm, could not resist.

"Compared to Wenzhi, I am not as good as Zhuge Wanling in Jingwu. Compared with martial arts, I am not as good as Cao Meng in the sea." Li Qiuhuang said: "Only poetry and prose, I am still somewhat confident, but in the end...it is of no benefit to the country."

"Perhaps, you shouldn't have been born in the Tang Kingdom."

Hot tears fell from Li Qi's eyes: "The sinner is a member of the Tang Kingdom in life, and the soul of the Tang Kingdom in death. In this life, you have failed the king, and you will repay it in the next life!"

"Let's just be a wandering soul, maybe that's more comfortable and happy." Li Qiuhuang shook his head, whispering in a voice that only he could hear.

The guard opened the door, and Li Qiuhuang walked out. Behind him, Li Qi knelt on his knees, beating his head three times, and each sound was as heavy as a war drum. Even with Li Qi's cultivation, such a big gift would not let him It's so good.

But Li Qiuhuang didn't look back, didn't say much, just walked out of the prison door lightly, and walked towards the sky prison.

Just outside the prison, Yang Taizhen stood quietly, the maid behind her lowered her head and lifted her skirt, not daring to make a sound, even trying to control her breathing.

Li Qiuhuang paused slightly, looked at Yang Taizhen, smiled wryly and said, "What are you doing here?"

Yang Taizhen was still dressed in full dress, the phoenix crown on her head and various ornaments made her look graceful and luxurious, but the coldness on her face carried a sense of coercion, making it difficult to look directly at.

"Can the lord come, but can't the concubines come?" Yang Taizhen asked back, looking straight ahead, and his tone was very blunt.

Li Qiuhuang lowered his voice and said, "You know, Gu didn't mean that."

But Yang Taizhen didn't intend to save any face for Li Qiuhuang, he sneered and said: "The minister and concubine are dull, how can they understand what the king thinks?"

Li Qiuhuang took a step back, lowered his head, and there was a bit of helplessness in his voice: "Could it be that we are going to quarrel here? Let's go... I will go to Huaqing Palace with you to discuss privately, okay?"

Chapter 300 The Ending of "Admonition"

"The concubine dare not." Yang Taizhen said coldly: "The concubine came this time just to see how the traitor general is doing for the lord, but now, it seems unnecessary."

Li Qiuhuang sighed and said, "Why is this? It is true that Li Qi is guilty now, but after all, he has fought for his country for many years. Even if you don't think that he has fought in the battlefield for many years, you just think that his father valued him a lot. For the sake of giving him a surname, Gu Ye should come to see him, at least let him go with some peace of mind. Isn't that right?"

Yang Taizhen was expressionless, just bowed slightly, and said: "The lord is right, of course it is right. This Tang Dynasty is the foundation of the Li family for several generations. If the former king is alive, Li Qi will definitely not suffer from this prison. But the minister As a "demon concubine", the concubine has deceived the lord for many years. Now it seems that she deserves to die. If the lord is not angry with Li Qizhi today, he can make an order to let him go, and then send someone to beat the concubine into heaven. Prison, you can ask to beheaded immediately, and the concubine will never complain."

In the entire palace, only Yang Taizhen dared to talk to him like this, but Li Qiuhuang had no choice but to say with a headache: "What are you talking about? Gu He ever said that Li Qi's crime was inappropriate death?"

Yang Taizhen shook his head and said: "Yes, or not, the lord doesn't need to explain, this Tang country is not something that a courtier or concubine can control."

After finishing speaking, she saluted, turned around, and walked towards Huaqing Palace, and the maids behind her with their skirts also followed closely, trembling and stepping up.

The guards of the Heavenly Prison stood at the door without saying a word, just like a few stone sculptures. Inside the palace, there were "family affairs" about Li Qiuhuang and the harem. They could only pretend to be deaf and dumb, as if they hadn't heard anything , saw nothing.

And Li Qiuhuang stood alone at the gate of the prison, looking at Yang Taizhen's stubborn back, silent.

For some reason, the memory of Yang Taizhen on that rainy night once again appeared in his mind, facing the wind and rain, looking at the tombstone in a wet dress, and yelling to himself: "You owe me!"

At that time, he was not yet the lord of the Tang Kingdom, but the son of the Tang Kingdom, and he had not yet been imprisoned within the walls of this prison-like palace full of jade buildings.

And Yang Taizhen became her fiancée, the person she once loved deeply, who will forever be buried underground.

Since that day, Yang Taizhen has always hated rain, even at the beginning, when she was a young girl, she was a lively and active person who would happily run in the streets and alleys on rainy days.

Thinking about the heavy rain last night, even if she finally became the winner, she is in a very bad mood now, right?

His eyes showed a bit of gentleness, and he said softly: "Those who abandon me...the day of yesterday...don't stay..."

Qin Ke was lying on the bed, it was already bright outside the window.

A mischievous ray of sunlight slipped in through the gap of the window sill, just shining on his eyelids.

He frowned, rubbed his loose eyelids, and turned over, trying to avoid the ray of sunlight, but found that there was nowhere to hide from that ray of sunlight, so he simply opened his eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling.

He heard the door opening downstairs, and someone came running in a hurry, and he didn't know what happened to make them so panic.

In fact, if you think about it carefully, he should be a little too calm, maybe it's because he encountered too many things last night, which made him a little numb?And one more thing, after the discussion in the early morning, he also knew that Ding'an City is not peaceful now, the best way is to be a wooden man enshrined at home.

Since he was a wooden man, he couldn't do anything, so sleeping late became a matter of course.

But he thought about it, tossed and turned on the bed for a while, and finally decided to get up from the warm blanket to see what happened.

He stretched out his hands to rub his somewhat dry eyes—the discussion was completed in the early morning, and then he and Cai Yan watched the stars on the roof until the east turned white. Although he would not feel tired if he stayed up all night with his physique, he never felt sleepy. I will never forget to patronize his brain, and all the daily needs of ordinary people will still come on time.

He thinks this is a good thing. Living alone in the world, if one loses interest in food and sleeping because of a cultivation level different from that of ordinary people, it is really frustrating.

But having said that, I wonder if Cai Yan is in a better mood?

Gao Yishui seemed to wake up early, and the bedding was tidy.

And Qin Ke opened the door and walked to the cellar. The old shopkeeper who was resting with his eyes closed last night was gone. Only Jing Yu and Gao Yishui were sitting opposite each other. with.

Under their narration, Qin Ke also quickly understood the current situation of Ding'an City.

The [-] troops approached the city from three directions, and the defenders on the top of the city had already been gutted. They didn't dare to resist at all. The room was cleaned.