Chapter 273 Farewell
In July of the 22nd year of Zhenguan, Goguryeo was greatly weakened by the harassment of the Tang army. Li Er planned to attack Goguryeo while the other side was in trouble.
He planned to send 300,000 troops to destroy Goguryeo the following year, so he ordered Qiang Wei to cut down trees and build warships in Jiannan Road.
The giant ship was required to be 100 feet long and about 50 feet wide. After these ships were built, they went down the river from Jiang and Yangzhuang to Laizhou.
"How is Fang Xuanling?" Li Er asked. Li Er would ask about Fang Xuanling's situation every day.
When Fang Xuanling was seriously ill, Li Er sent famous doctors to treat him, provided him with food every day, and sometimes visited Fang Xuanling in person at Fang's house.
"The condition of Prime Minister Fang is not optimistic. I am afraid he will die in the next few days!" Wang Yuan said.
"Is it so serious? When I saw him two days ago, although he was seriously ill, he would not die in just a few days." Li Er said.
"I also heard that his condition has been getting worse day by day in the past two days. It seems that it should be God's will." Wang Yuan said.
Li Er said nothing after hearing this. Wang Yuan stood aside and did not dare to disturb him.
Li Er felt mixed emotions in his heart. His old ministers who followed him passed away one after another. He felt very uncomfortable.
Fang Xuanling had followed him since he was the King of Qin. It has been 32 years now. He has been working diligently in his position.
Fang Xuanling has always been his right-hand man. He has made many plans for him and contributed a lot to the Zhenguan Administration.
Now he is going to die before him, which makes him very sad. He will lose a good minister, and the Tang Dynasty will also lose a good prime minister.
At Fang Xuanling's house, Fang Xuanling said to all the sons serving him with a faint breath: "The world is peaceful now, but your majesty continues to attack Goguryeo in the east, which is a national disaster. The lord is angry and determined, and the ministers dare not offend him. If I know it but don't say it, I will die with hatred."
"Go, get the pen and paper, your father will submit a petition to your majesty, and finally ask your majesty to stop attacking Goguryeo."
"Father! You are not in good health now! Don't be tired, it won't be too late to submit the petition after you get better!" Fang Yiai cried.
What time is it now, and his old father is still thinking about the court and the majesty's affairs. Doesn't he want to think about the future of the Fang family?
"Don't talk nonsense, Yizhi, go get me some writing materials, I need to write a memorial to the emperor!" Fang Xuanling said to Fang Yizhi.
Fang Yizhi nodded and said, "Yes, father!"
Fang Yizhi stood up and left. Fang Xuanling glanced at Fang Yiai, sighed, and closed his eyes without saying anything. He knew exactly what was going on.
Fang Yiai was Fang Xuanling's favorite son. He was the most like him among all his sons. The only shortcoming was that Fang Yiai was a bit cowardly, but he married a fierce woman like Princess Gaoyang.
To be honest, among all his sons, Fang Xuanling was most worried about Fang Yiai. Fang Yizhi was honest and dutiful by nature. He would inherit his title in the future and never have to worry about food and clothing for the rest of his life.
He also made arrangements for his other sons, so that even if they did not achieve much in their official careers, they would be able to live a life without worries about food and clothing.
Only Fang Yiai he did not know how to arrange, but he was a royal consort after all, so as long as he behaved himself, he would live a better life than his brothers.
But was he a man who would be content with his lot? Fang Xuanling knew this very well, and it was this that made Fang Xuanling uneasy.
"Father! The pen and ink are ready!" Fang Yizhi came back and said to Fang Xuanling's bed.
"I'll read it to you!" Fang Xuanling said. Now he no longer had the strength to write memorials, so all memorials were written by Fang Yizhi.
"Yes!" Fang Yizhi replied, sitting at the desk. A servant began to grind ink. Fang Yizhi picked up the pen and recorded what Fang Xuanling said, and wrote it into a memorial.
After writing it, Fang Yizhi showed the memorial to Fang Xuanling. After confirming that it was correct, he ordered someone to send it to Li Er in the palace.
In the Liangyi Hall of Taiji Palace, when Li Er was feeling sad about losing Fang Xuanling, an eunuch trotted in. Seeing this, Wang Yuan immediately stepped forward.
The eunuch whispered to Wang Yuan about Fang Xuanling's memorial, then handed a memorial from the Fang family to Wang Yuan and withdrew.
Li Er asked, "What's the matter? Is there any new situation with Xuanling?"
"Everyone! The Fang family just sent someone to deliver Fang Xiang's memorial. Please take a look." After saying that, Wang Yuan placed Fang Xuanling's memorial in front of Li Er.
Li Er couldn't wait to pick up the memorial and read it. As he read it, Li Er couldn't stop crying and choked up, "Xuanling, Xuanling! Even in this state, you still remember to think about me and the Tang Dynasty. You are really a good prime minister to me!" Seeing that Li
Er was crying so sadly, Wang Yuan advised, "Everyone! Don't be sad. Birth, aging, illness and death are normal. You must take care of your body!"
"Don't say anything! Get up and drive to Fang Mansion! I want to see Xuanling for the last time." After saying that, Li Er got up and walked out.
Wang Yuan did not dare to neglect it, and hurriedly ordered people to prepare the ceremonial guards and accompanying guards, and then escorted Li Er out of the palace to Fang Mansion, and sent people to inform Fang Mansion in advance to make preparations. When
Li Er arrived at Fang Mansion, Fang Yizhi, Fang Yiai and others had been waiting for a long time. Even Fang Xuanling, who was lying on the sickbed, had already put on his court clothes. When he saw Li Er's carriage coming, he hurried to take it.
"Your Majesty!" Fang Yizhi, Fang Yiai and others knelt and shouted.
"Everyone stand up! Where is Xuanling? Take me to see him." Li Er got off the carriage and said.
Everyone stood up, and Fang Yizhi said: "Your Majesty, please come in, I will take your Majesty out now."
Fang Yizhi led the way in front, Li Er walked behind him, Wang Yuan followed beside Li Er, and Fang Yiai and others walked behind Li Er.
The group walked to Fang Xuanling's bedroom, which was filled with the smell of herbs. In addition to several maids serving him, there were also several imperial doctors treating Fang Xuanling.
Seeing Li Er coming in, he knelt down and said, "Your Majesty!"
"I am seriously ill and cannot get up to pay my respects. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me." Fang Xuanling said.
"Xuanling! You lie down peacefully. I don't blame you." Li Er said, and said to the others, "Get up! You all leave. I want to talk to Xuanling alone."
"Yes!" Everyone obeyed the order and left the room, leaving the space for the two of them.
The two chatted for a long time inside. Finally, Li Er held Fang Xuanling's hand and said goodbye to him for the last time. Li Er left Fang Xuanling's bedroom with tears in his eyes.
Before leaving, Li Er talked to his daughter Princess Gaoyang alone and said to her: "This man is still worried about my country even when he is dying. It is really rare."
"As the daughter-in-law of the Fang family, you must serve your parents-in-law well and not be negligent in the slightest, do you understand?"
"I understand!" Princess Gaoyang said indifferently. She would not take Li Er's words seriously. If it weren't for her eldest brother's secret help, Bian Ji would have died long ago.