Chapter 842 Li Yuan
Li Yuan felt that the wind around him suddenly became stronger, making him somewhat unsteady on his feet.
In the strong wind, his legs kept shaking involuntarily.
He cursed in his heart. It was clearly not yet late autumn, but the weather was already bitterly cold, just like the coldest days of winter.
That's right.
Even if the weather suddenly turned cold, he would never admit that he was filled with fear.
Only a slightly cool breeze blew across the hair that fell on Luo Su's cheeks, illuminating his handsome face and showing his elegant demeanor. Luo Xuanye beside him had his hand on the sword. He was not joking. As long as Luo Su showed the slightest intention to kill Li Yuan, he would draw his sword. Luo Xuanjing looked at Li Yuan and his uninvited guests with interest.
Li Yuan came here, of course, not just alone. His wife Dou and his only legitimate daughter were all here. Dou was a kind-hearted woman and of course understood the criticality of the situation. Her face turned pale and she hugged her daughter tightly in her arms, trying to remain calm so as not to be rude and scream out.
At this moment, Dou had only one thing to be thankful for, that was her eldest son Jiancheng did not follow Li Yuan to take up his post because he had to study in Chang'an. It was a pity for Xiuning, who had to die here at such a young age. She had only this son and this daughter, and she regarded them as her dearest sweethearts.
Li Yuan and Dou's hearts were filled with despair, especially the dozens of spiritual soldiers with indifferent expressions, riding high on their horses, with pieces of meat and blood hanging on their knife hooks, exuding murderous and ruthless smell, which made them both know that there was no hope. Li Yuan could not even maintain the smile that he was forcing on his lips.
"Saint, please don't kill my father and mother!"
Li Xiuning suddenly broke free from Dou's embrace, knelt on the ground and kowtowed, raising her little face. She inherited the beauty of Dou and Li Yuan, with a heroic look on her face, yet not lacking in tenderness. Although not as good as Luo Xuanjing, she was also a rare beauty. At this moment, her little face was covered with dust from kowtow, and she said firmly with tears in her eyes: "Daddy is worried about the safety of the Saint, and wants to come here to see if there is a chance to save the Saint from danger, so there is the current situation. The Saint is naturally powerful, talented and wise, and can distinguish right from wrong, and can know the comings and goings. He must know this. I beg the Saint to spare Daddy's life for the sake of Daddy's kindness. Xiuning would rather work like a cow or a horse, and repay this kindness with a gift of grass and a ring."
It is quite rare for a little girl who is less than ten years old to be able to see that the situation is not right. She can also speak so clearly and logically. This shows that she is not an ordinary person.
Dou and Li Yuan were simply crazy. They did not expect Li Xiuning to rush out. Their love for their daughter made them temporarily get rid of their fear. They hugged Li Xiuning on both sides and cried, "Sir, spare my life. My daughter is ignorant."
The tragic case of family annihilation suddenly turned into a love story for his son. Luo Xuanjing's gaze began to drift, but Luo Xuanye remained unchanged. As long as Luo Su didn't say anything, he would never change. This was exactly why he was sent out to follow Luo Su. He was a straight man, his life was as straight as his sword, and when he walked on the road, he would cut off all the thorns and make a new path, even if there was a grand avenue next to it.
Luo Su was already laughing out loud. He liked everything that made him feel the breath of life and reality.
He walked up to Li Yuan and the other two, looked at Li Xiuning and said, "Little girl, why do you call me a saint? If I remember correctly, the subjects of the Sui Dynasty used this to address your emperor."
Li Xiuning's childish voice rang out, "My mother often said that if the Luo family of Zhaocheng were still alive, they would not let my uncle's family suffer. She shed tears every time she said this. Those who can save people in times of emergency and difficulty and are praised by the world are probably the saints mentioned in ancient times."
Luo Su burst into laughter upon hearing that, and Luo Xuanjing also covered his mouth and chuckled. Only Luo Xuanye remained expressionless, like an ice cube, making Li Xiuning feel a chill coming from him.
Li Yuan and Dou Shi felt relieved when they heard Luo Su's hearty laughter. Luo Su smiled and touched Li Xiuning's little head, "What a filial child. Zhou Li comes first, loyalty and filial piety come first."
Li Xiuning only felt a warmth coming from Luo Su's hands, making her feel warm all over.
Luo Su looked at Li Yuan and said, "Duke Tang, my Luo family has always been upright and honest in the world, and has never engaged in any conspiracy or trickery. You did not come with any malicious intent, so I will naturally not kill innocent people. So you don't have to be so nervous, I will never kill you.
But there is one thing I have to say today, and it has entered your ears. Please do not let others know it. "
When Li Yuan heard this, he felt as if he had heard of a general amnesty. The joy on his face was totally unfaithful. He nodded frantically and said, "Please keep your words, sir. I will keep them in mind and will never spread them to others."
Luo Su said slowly: "Killing these Sui Dynasty Eastern Palace guards today would be a capital crime for ordinary people. I don't care, but I don't want to cause more trouble. After all, I still have to travel in this world. If I fight with Sui Dynasty soldiers every day, it will delay my important matters.
Duke Tang is a noble of the imperial court, but I still advise you not to spread this matter.
Look at this vast land. To the west you can see Mount Qi, and to the east you can see Mount Li. How many dynasties have come through this 800-li fertile land?
From the Zhou, Qin, Han and Sui dynasties, how many countries have risen and fallen in this world? Where are the Jin, Qin, Qi, Chu, Zhao, Wei and Han now?
But only my Luo family still exists in this world. I will be the one to judge their achievements for thousands of years and I will be in charge of the future generations. Whether it is for the moment or for eternity, whether I am inclined to the royal family of the Sui Dynasty or my Luo family, Duke Tang should have a scale in his heart.
I sit on the top of the mountains and rivers, watching the Spring and Autumn period as all nations turn to dust, that’s all.”
These words made Li Yuan feel a strong sense of time from Luo Su. He felt that the person standing in front of him was not a living person, but an ancient person who came here from ancient times. The heaviness brought by the passing of time was almost intense in Luo Su.
He was obviously only a few years older than the man next to him, but the two of them felt as if they were hundreds or thousands of years apart. If Li Yuan were asked to describe it, he would think Luo Su was a man who walked out of those ancient murals.
Li Yuan was shocked by Luo Su's remarks. For the first time, he felt ashamed of himself. What was the title of Duke of Tang worth?
"Duke Tang."
Luo Su said with some nostalgia, "The King's Land of Tang and Yu. Back then, I was in the King's Land of Tang and Yu and was granted the title of Marquis of Jin. This is probably our fate."
Li Yuan's mind was already somewhat confused, and he could only say, "Don't worry, sir. Yuan knows what to do, and there will definitely not be any leaks."
Luo Su looked at Li Xiuning again, thought for a moment, reached out and took out a warm jade pendant from his waist, put it in Li Xiuning's hand, and said to Li Yuan and Dou: "I like this little girl very much. I want to give her a good life. Let her marry into the Luo family in the future. I will find her a superior husband in the world."
What is a sudden turn of events?
What does it mean when things get dark and dark?
What is a surprise?
Now Li Yuan wanted to pull someone over from the roadside and ask him what a surprise was, what a damn surprise!
A woman from the Dou family reacted faster. She immediately pressed Li Xiuning's head and made him kowtow to Luo Su, in order to settle the matter.
Luo Xuanjing thought it was very reasonable. This little girl met the Luo family's standards for finding a wife. The most important thing was that the old ancestor liked her, so that was what he liked.
She observed the expressions of the people and spoke before Dou said, "Don't call me Young Master. This is the ancestor of my Luo family. Just follow me and call me Old Ancestor.
Duke Tang and Madam Tang said that our ancestor is very old, so you can just call him old gentleman."
Ancestor?
Old man?
You are so young but you are called ancestor?
If it was an ordinary family with a high generation, it would be fine, but this is the Luo family.
As far as Li Yuan and Dou knew, the direct lineage lasted no more than three generations, and the Luo family basically did not have a situation where there was a big difference in age and generation.
But the descendants of the Luo family said so themselves, and Li Yuan and Dou knew that there must be a reason for it. Li Xiuning kowtowed on the ground and called him ancestor.
She was still a little confused and had no idea what was going on. Suddenly, she had a fiancé whose name she didn't know. But she was smart and knew that her parents must be safe now, so she put on a bright smile on her face.
Luo Xuanye was like melting ice and snow. When Li Xiuning kowtowed, he released his hand on the sword, a slight smile appeared on his face, and his eyes instantly became kind as he looked at Li Yuan and the other two.
His expression changed too obviously. He was like a killing god before, but now he was as warm and gentle as the spring breeze. As soon as the pressure was relieved, Luo Xuanye bowed and said, "Mr. Li, Madam, I apologize for offending you just now. We are a family from now on. When your lady gets married, Xuanye will come to your house with gifts to apologize."
Li Yuan hurriedly said that it was not necessary, and Luo Xuanye stopped talking. When Luo Su and his party left leisurely along the road, Li Yuan and the other two were still dizzy, as if they were in a dream.
The scenes they had just encountered were like a dream to the three of them. When the wind blew, the cold sweat just now washed away, and they felt even colder all over. Li Yuan and Dou came to their senses and looked at the jade pendant in Li Xiuning's hand, and they suddenly realized something.
"Has our Li family really gotten close to the Luo family? No, has the Luo family really returned to the Central Plains?"
Li Yuan had already spoken without thinking. He attached great importance to family background and origin, and in his opinion, Luo's origin was the highest. Unless he could become the queen, nothing could compare to a marriage with Luo.
"This is really a case of fortune and misfortune, and misfortune and fortune. It's just like those absurd legends and novels. I didn't expect that we would actually encounter this. Xiuning is really lucky. Since childhood, fortune tellers have said that Xiuning is not an ordinary person and will be very rich. Now it seems to be true."
Dou couldn't stop talking. As a mother, she was naturally most concerned about the marriage of her children. Especially for the marriages of powerful and noble families like theirs, it was often difficult to make decisions. It was a blessing to meet Luo.
A light breeze blew by, picking up a few yellow leaves that had fallen to the ground. Li Xiuning tightly held the warm jade pendant in her hand. It was a clear autumn day with a clear blue sky, but in her little heart there was a raging blue sea that no one knew about.
After Luo Su and the other two left, while talking about the joke just now, Luo Xuanjing suddenly asked: "Grandfather, you just said that you would never kill that Duke Tang. Did you really never think of killing that Duke Tang? Or, no matter who it was at that time, you would not kill him?"
Luo Su smiled and said softly, "I won't kill Li Yuan. I haven't talked to him much, but I can see that he is a smart man and won't reveal our whereabouts. If we met someone who wasn't so smart, the result would be different. I have a kind heart, but I also have ruthless means. In this world, the more ruthless the means, the better you can be as a good person."
Luo Xuanjing smiled when he heard this, and he really thought so. He then asked, "Grandfather, does the young lady of the Li family want to send a letter to Winter City so that the family can choose a suitable candidate?"
Upon hearing this, Luo Su looked directly at Luo Xuanye and said with a smile: "Jing'er, what do you think of Ah Ye? He is handsome, talented, good at both literature and martial arts, and has a noble family background. Isn't he an excellent candidate for a husband?"
Luo Xuanye couldn't hold it back this time, and Luo Xuanjing even covered his mouth and laughed, but he still expressed his approval, "Fifth brother is indeed suitable. Uncle will definitely be delighted to know the news."
…
This incident was at best a minor episode for Luo Su and the other two. They had traveled thousands of miles along the way and encountered countless emergencies. When dozens of people were chasing and killing thousands of people on the grassland, the scene was much more serious than it is now.
Along the way, we killed at least a thousand people, if not eight hundred. These dozens of people are just a small matter.
On the rest of the journey, there were no unexpected situations and Luo Su successfully arrived at his destination, Mount Li.
The three people who had been laughing all the way arrived here, and the atmosphere suddenly became gloomy. Luo Su got off the carriage, looked at the Lishan Mountain with sparse vegetation, and said with emotion: "Do you know?
In the past, I deployed my troops here three times, and all the princes in the world led their soldiers to come for my inspection. No prince dared to disobey my orders from Haojing. That awe-inspiring power still echoes in my heart until now.
Unexpectedly, just over a hundred years later, this place was transformed into the place where the Zhou emperor died.
The Zhou emperor who died here must be King You of Zhou. This posthumous title is well given to him. An incompetent king who brought disaster to the Zhou country deserves such a fate.
It's a pity that I can't offer him to my ancestors in person, how hateful."
Luo Xuanye and Luo Xuanjing listened silently without saying anything. Ancestor Wengong was usually very peaceful and only had major emotional fluctuations when it came to Bang Zhou.
Time cannot erase his feelings for Bang Zhou, and the years cannot diminish his deep love for Bang Zhou. As people who have always been with the ancestor, they certainly know this, and silence is the best way now.
Luo Su climbed up Mount Li and looked in all directions. Of course, he could not see the old Haojing City. There were only sparse vegetation here. The once magnificent Haojing City was no longer visible, even the broken walls and ruins. The palaces of the Qin Dynasty had long been burned to ashes in the fire, and all the prosperity had disappeared.
All that was left were the not-so-magnificent water, withered flowers and plants, and the misty woods with faint traces of foxes and rats running out. When he saw this scene, Luo Su finally felt that the era he had been dreaming about had passed.
The states of Zhou and Chu are already a thing of the past.
Haojing and Fengcheng are already a thing of the past.
King Li of Zhou turned into dust, and King Zhao of Zhou also turned into dust.
He was the only person left from the old era. A vast and grand loneliness suddenly swept over him, as if the eternity of loneliness in the depths of the universe made him feel a little breathless.
Endless darkness enveloped him.
"The spirit of the Su Wang is in heaven, his glorious reputation will last for thousands of years!
The spirit of the Su Wang is in heaven, blessing his descendants with happiness and longevity!"
He sang loudly on Mount Li as if no one was around, chanting the most ancient sacred songs, as if he had returned to the time when he was the Grand Chancellor.
…
Chang'an.
Luoyang is a holy city, but Chang'an is recognized as the imperial capital. In this era with a population of about 50 to 60 million, Guanzhong's advantages are too obvious. It is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and can be described as a solid golden city.
After the Sui Dynasty established its capital here again, with the investment of a large amount of resources, Chang'an regained some of its heyday during the Han Dynasty.
The canals leading from the Wei River bypass the rugged hills and finally converge in Yongzhou with Chang'an as the center. These rivers are like jade belts.
This is the pattern of eight rivers surrounding Chang'an. Although Guanzhong is not as prosperous as it was in the Han Dynasty, there is nothing that can be done about it. At the beginning, Guanzhong and Guandong were competing for supremacy, and in order to win the final victory, Guanzhong was developed to the fullest extent possible.
It has not recovered until now, and this unconscious recovery, especially when there is occasional damage, will inevitably lead to the deterioration of the ecological environment.
For Luo Su, the changes here are even greater. What era did he live in? There were primeval forests everywhere, and the Wei River in Guanzhong was much more turbulent than it is now.
When Luo Su traveled around the world, he naturally came to visit the capital. In theory, this should be the most peaceful place in the world. If even the capital cannot be stable, then this dynasty will not last long.
The imperial capital of a dynastic country can represent the future of the entire country to a large extent.
Because the imperial capital is a benchmark, what it represents is telling the people of the world that this is the direction of future development. It cannot be achieved now due to objective reasons. This is equivalent to painting a pie in the sky for the people of the world. As for whether it can be realized, it depends on what the rulers do.
But if even the pie is not drawn, just like during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the imperial capital looks like an imperial capital, and like all other places, it is full of chaos and killing, then the consciousness of the entire country will fall into chaos.
The new Chang'an City called Daxing City in the Sui Dynasty was very prosperous.
This level of prosperity was something Luo Su had never heard of or seen before. The productivity in his time was completely different from that of now. It was already incredibly powerful for Haojing City to have a population of 100,000, but Chang'an had far more than 100,000.
What is Luo Su going to do when he comes to Chang'an City?
He came to see the systems and laws of Chang'an, as well as the implementation of these systems and laws. On the one hand, he came to see the level of the think tanks of the Sui Dynasty, and on the other hand, he came to see the Sui Dynasty's control over the grassroots.
The group found an inn. Luo Xuanye and Luo Xuanjing cleaned up for Luo Su very quickly. Luo Su sat at the table and drank tea and said with emotion: "The Sui Dynasty is very different from the previous dynasties. Its internal political operation logic has undergone tremendous changes. We need to study this change carefully. It seems that we have to stay in Chang'an for a few more days."
This was the conclusion that Luo Su came to about the Sui Dynasty after understanding it for some time. This made Luo Xuanye and Luo Xuanjing a little confused. In their opinion, the Sui Dynasty was no different from the Han Dynasty recorded in classics.
Luo Su knew that this was not something that could be explained in a few words, so he pointed to the bed and asked the two to sit down. He then began to give them a lecture in the room: "You cannot look at things on the surface, just like the Emperor of Zhou, the Emperor of Han, and the Emperor of Sui, who have the same name but are completely different in nature.
Have you or your family never thought about why it took hundreds of years of wars of annexation in the Zhou Dynasty before a winner was finally decided and the world was unified?
The establishment of the Sui Dynasty was similar. The collapse of the Han Dynasty was due to changes in the logic of the bottom layer of society. This change was multifaceted, starting with the economy.
There are a lot of studies on Bang Zhou in the family's classics. Because of the collapse of the well-field system and the rise of iron tools, the entire society underwent great changes. Because there were a large number of mediocre monarchs in Bang Zhou who could not follow this trend, the collapse of rituals and music accelerated the collapse of politics and ultimately led to the collapse of Bang Zhou.
In the world after the Qin and Han dynasties, who do you think is the root of the Chinese nation? "
Luo Xuanye and Luo Xuanjing said without hesitation: "Self-employed farmers and small landlords!"
This is the result of Luo's research. The brother and sister have naturally studied it. Luo Su has basically read all the classics in Luo's family. He said in a deep voice: "But since the Later Han Dynasty, the real power in the world is the big landlords, so political chaos has occurred frequently, coupled with a series of things that trample on the bottom line, so it has once again created a great chaos. This is the second collapse of rituals and music after the Zhou Dynasty.
And the degree was no less than the last time. The new dynasty should have taken on the responsibility of reshaping civilization and values, just as the Han Dynasty did, raising loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness to an unprecedented level to cope with the collapse of Zhouli values.
But the Sui Dynasty had an inherent flaw. It came to power by bullying orphans and widows, and it also brutally purged the royal family before and after it came to power. This could not be said to be right or wrong. It maintained the political stability of the Sui Dynasty to that day, but if it wanted to do something big, there would be concerns.
Especially the current emperor of the Sui Dynasty is still far behind those top saintly monarchs. After traveling in Guanzhong these days, I believe you are also aware of some of the shortcomings of the Sui Dynasty.
I have some doubts about whether the current emperor can reshape the values of the world, restore order to the confused people's hearts, and lead the world to a truly prosperous era."
Luo Xuanye, who had always been stern, did not expect Luo Su to say this, questioning the current emperor in this way. He asked in surprise: "Grandfather, are you not going to go to the court to show your skills?"
"Enter the court?"
Luo Su smiled softly and said, "What official position and title do you think the Emperor of Sui should give me?"
"Well……"
Luo Xuanye was stunned by the question. He hesitated for a long time and said, "Prince? Prime Minister?"
These two treatments are already the highest treatment for a minister. A prime minister, who has not appeared for hundreds of years, has rarely granted royal titles to people of other surnames during his lifetime. Even if these two treatments are given to the head of the Luo family, they are extremely high courtesies.
But after Luo Xuanye finished speaking, he scratched his head. He wondered if he was the only one who felt this way. Even if these two things were added to the ancestor, there was still a very strange feeling.
Similar to, are you worthy of being given a title or an official position?
Even if the head of the Luo family said this to the emperor, it would be a bit too arrogant. After all, this world belongs to the emperor. But if these words came from Luo Su's mouth, there would be nothing strange about it.
What is Luo Wengong?
He was an ancient wise minister mentioned in the classics of various schools of thought. His era was too long ago, and he was no longer a simple person, but an abstract symbol.
Just like mentioning Bigan, it means a loyal minister.
When people talk about ancient kings, they always think of those names, and when they talk about ancient wise ministers, they can never avoid Duke Wen of Luo.
He is already divine!
"I am a minister of the Great Zhou. I once served the emperor of the Great Zhou, but now I am no longer loyal to the emperor of the Sui Dynasty.
If we can reach a cooperation with him and revitalize the Chinese together, that would be the best, but with the emperor's experience, the suspicion and sensitivity he has caused, I'm afraid it would be a bit difficult."
Luo Xuanjing and the others had never imagined that this would be the case. "Then, old ancestor, what will happen next for you..."
Luo Su was born with a great cause. This is something that everyone in the Luo family knows. If he doesn't serve as an official in the court now, how can he accomplish his great cause?
Luo Su naturally knew what the two were thinking, and smiled nonchalantly, "I won't marry or have children when I come to this world, and I will leave the world after a hundred years. Won't the family still be the ones left in the world by then?
You are my eyes, my hands and feet, my brain and everything. After Luo returns, it will not be difficult for him to occupy a high position in the Sui Dynasty. I can just use you to do something. "
Luo Xuanjing and Luo Xuanye looked at each other and nodded seriously.
…
While Luo Su and the others were talking, a horseman galloped into the East Palace. He walked in quickly with a panicked look on his face. When he met the guards, he immediately asked, "Is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in the palace? There is a big news report. The palace people who went out earlier died on the post road."
What?
The palace was suddenly in chaos. A palace maid from the Eastern Palace who was traveling died on the post road. This was a big event.
Who did it?
When we looked at each other, I felt terrified!
————
During the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Gaozu was transferred to be the governor of Qizhou. On the way, he met Duke Wen, who was a very holy man. The emperor was very impressed by him and thought he was a hero. So he wanted to make friends with him. Duke Wen looked at Emperor Gaozu and found him to be majestic and had the appearance of a generous ruler. Emperor Gaozu was very surprised by him and they had a very pleasant conversation. At that time, Princess Pingyang Zhao was also by his side. Duke Wen liked Pingyang very much, so he asked Emperor Gaozu about his marriage, and Emperor Gaozu was pleased.
When the great court was established, there were rumors, and the rumors were spread to Emperor Gaozu, who was quite angry and said to his attendants, "I and you hit it off right away, and we are like gentlemen."
Duke Wen also said to his attendants: "Emperor Gaozu is magnanimous and broad-minded, and has the spirit of Emperor Gaozu of Han."
The rumors stopped. - "The Book of Tang: The Chronicle of Emperor Gaozu"
(End of this chapter)
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