Xihua Palace is Dong Shulan's bedroom.
Mrs. Dong was naturally delighted that Fu Xiaoguan was coming to dinner today.
She busied herself preparing a large table of dishes, and the family reunited together again, enjoying the meal and reminiscing about the feeling of celebrating the New Year in Jinling.
During the meal, Mrs. Dong naturally expressed her concern for her son-in-law, but Dong Kangping didn't say much. He drank two more glasses of wine.
Fu Xiaoguan naturally also expressed the son-in-law's greetings to his father-in-law and mother-in-law, and talked about some interesting things that happened in Jinling. The whole dinner ended in a happy atmosphere.
"Have a cup of tea?" Dong Kangping invited.
"Okay!" Fu Xiaoguan brought Dong Kangping to the Yuehua Pavilion in the front yard and sat down.
"You're worried!"
Dong Kangping didn't ask, Fu Xiaoguan nodded while making tea, "I feel a little tired."
"Is it because there are no more challenges? No more enemies? So you feel you've lost motivation and want to take a break?"
Fu Xiaoguan thought for a moment, "It seems that there is such a reason, but not entirely. How should I put it..."
He was silent for a few breaths. "I remember when I left Linjiang, I was... seventeen years old. In the blink of an eye, I'm thirty."
"According to everyone's opinion, this is the time when a man is at his prime and most energetic."
"father in law……"
Fu Xiaoguan took a deep breath and said, "These days I have been thinking about one question: Who am I living for? Who should I live for?"
Dong Kangping frowned. He was not a psychology expert, but he knew countless people.
Fu Xiaoguan lost his fighting spirit!
He has no target behind him!
He wanted to retire!
The desire to retire has always existed in his heart, but now that everything in Daxia is on track, this idea has become more urgent.
"Have you figured it out?"
Fu Xiaoguan nodded and then shook his head. "Actually, I just want to live for my family and loved ones. The hundreds of millions of people in Daxia have nothing to do with me, but in the eyes of others, I've become an inseparable part of them. I've become the shoulder pole that must shoulder everyone's future. At each end of the pole are two baskets: one basket holds their future, the other holds their hopes."
He took a deep breath and said, "This carrying pole of mine must not break. If it does, the heavy future and high hopes will fall to the ground and shatter into pieces..."
He suddenly laughed and poured Dong Kangping a cup of tea, "Actually, this is not right!"
Dong Kangping took the teacup, frowning slightly, "What's wrong with this?"
"I am not a carrying pole, and the people of Daxia should not pin their future and hopes on a carrying pole."
"Everyone is unique. Everyone has to take responsibility for their own future and fight for their own future."
"I am also an ordinary person. It's time for me to find a different path for my life!"
"Over the years, I've had very little time to spend with Shulan and her family at home. Even my children feel very unfamiliar with me. I once wanted to turn this situation around and change my life, but I found that I couldn't do it as long as I was in this position."
"In such a large country, there are many things to do. Although there are three prime ministers and now a cabinet, in fact, as long as I am in Kyoto, they still can't avoid leaving many matters to me for decision."
"It's not that they don't have their own opinions, but they don't dare to have their own opinions when I'm here."
"I understand this, but there's no way I can change their mindset. So after much thought... I still want to leave!"
Dong Kangping blew on the teacup and did not refute what Fu Xiaoguan said.
Of course, he hoped that Fu Xiaoguan would still be in charge of Daxia. After all, all the important policies and major policies of Daxia now came from his hands. In order for the policies to continue and for Daxia to maintain long-term stability, it would obviously be most beneficial to the people of the world and the foundation of Daxia if he was in charge of Daxia.
But as Fu Xiaoguan just said, he is not a carrying pole. He has been carrying Daxia for so many years. The remaining longer journey... should be left to Daxia to walk on its own.
"Shulan said you plan to enthrone the eldest prince, Wu Tianci, as the crown prince?"
"Well, do you have any opinion?"
Dong Kangping shook his head. "That's a good thing. Although he's not born under the Queen's name, he's the eldest son, so it's in accordance with etiquette. So what are you going to do next?"
"I will take Tianci to court this year, and next year I plan to go out to sea."
"Going to sea? Fighting a war?"
"I guess there will be a few battles, but my goal is not to fight."
"Why is that?"
"Father-in-law, if I remain in Daxia and become the emperor, Tianci will definitely rely on me, and so will the ministers. Then a situation like this will arise—"
"When encountering important matters, Tianci asks me for advice and lets me make the decisions. If this becomes a habit, Tianci's prestige in the ministers' hearts will surely decline, to the point where they will directly bypass Tianci and ask me."
"For the sake of Daxia, should I answer or not? If this continues, Daxia will become two dynasties, Tianci will exist like a puppet, and I... will still have no peace."
"So I'm going to find a piece of pure land on the other side of the sea. There might be a war. I won't build a country on that piece of land, but I will build a village, a very big village."
"Shulan, the others, and the children will live in that village and go back to our old ways, cultivating the vast expanse of land, brewing wine, smelting steel, and perhaps raising silkworms."
Dong Kangping took a sip of tea and pondered for a moment, "Is this the perfect country you once described to Prime Minister Yan?"
"..." Fu Xiaoguan was stunned for a long time. Is that the ideal perfect country?
If it is a country, wouldn’t it be a country built?
If not for... a huge village built on the island, in which lived people of all kinds and even different skin colors, including farmers, workers, gardeners, craftsmen, teachers, and officials who managed the village.
This is still a country!
And I am still a local emperor.
He grinned and shook his head, "It's a perfect town, I guess."
"I'm actually quite interested in your perfect little town. If you decide to leave, just let me know. I'll go with your aunt."
"good."
"If it is realized, will we still be in contact with Daxia?"
Alaska is on the route, and this nautical chart already exists. Although the Daxia Navy has never arrived there, it knows about it.
Therefore, it is obviously impossible to completely cut off ties with Daxia.
“No proactive contact.”
"So if Daxia is in trouble and this news reaches your ears, how will you deal with it?"
After all, Wu Tianci is his son, and Daxia is his hard work. If Daxia is really in trouble, can he just ignore it?
If you want to sort it out, what should you use?
Only force.
Doesn't this mean we have to build another army?
It seems that we have returned to the old path of nation-building.
Fu Xiaoguan was suddenly confused. He felt that he had really fallen into a cage. He could see clearly but could not break it.
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